#bro did not need a stranger reminding him his loved ones left him

[wishchip106]

“the professor i know would never turn his back on someone who lost their path, especially someone he loved”

I wonder if logan just had to deal with charles yapping about his ex-husband 24/7 and then had to deal with them being grossly sappy old men when they all teamed up in the future.

he saw how their dramatics mellowed down with age during the plane fight

[killemwithkawaii]

Hello! I’ve been reading your stuff for almost a year now, and idk if your taking requests rn but do you think I could get headcannons of yan!Sal being your best friend and what that would consist of? If your able to of course. Also I love all of your work! I always come back to read it!

Aw yeah, gotta love some platonic yan~ 💖

Sal as your Yandere Best Friend (forever and ever and ever)-

[CW: Yandere, obsessive behavior, borderline stalking, self-sacrifice, emotional manipulation]

>Sal is extremely sociable and gets attached to people quickly. He’s likely to be the one to introduce himself to you and invites you to hang out with him and his other friends almost immediately. Once you guys click, you go from casual acquaintances to ride-or-die overnight. You’re pretty much stuck with him after that (he doesn’t take friendship lightly!) 🤝💙

>Constantly wants to hang around you, even if you’re not doing anything in particular, invites you along to pretty much everything, and shows up at your place unannounced for impromptu bro time. He just really enjoys your company! Because he's constantly asking what you're doing when he's not there, he knows your schedule and where you are pretty much at all times. He would feel very left out if you mention that you did something fun or important without him. (He covers it up well, ‘Oh, I’m glad you had fun! That sounds awesome, I’ll have to try that out/ go there sometime…’ but you can tell by his mood change that he’s upset about not being included 😞)

>Incredibly generous, always willing to do favors for you without expecting more than a ‘thank you’ in return, and is happy to go out of his way to help or please you. He will literally give you the shirt off his back, if it seems like you’re in need of it. After all, what are friends for? (He of course has his limitations, but you’d have to make some pretty preposterous requests for him to deny you something.) 🙇‍♂️

>Wants to do everything that you do. Take the same classes, join the same clubs, have the same hobbies, listen to the same music, and live in the same house as you, if he can manage it... He wants to appreciate what you’re all about, really get to know you on an intimate level and know who you are at your core. Doing all the same things is a great way to do that and an excellent way to spend more time with you, especially if he can get you to teach him a new skill or you both learn something new together. 🎨📸📚

>Very physically affectionate. He’s always down for a hug and likes to stay within close proximity (almost zero personal bubble, unless you make it very clear you need some space, which he will do his best to respect). He’s not keen on strangers getting to close to either of you, but you guys might as well be conjoined at the hip. 🤗

>Is quick to be your scapegoat and come to your defense. He’s great at lying and coming up with excuses to get the both of you out of trouble (or just get what you want), will always politely yet firmly speak up when you’re slighted, and he never lets anybody get away with being a jerk to you. Sal can be absolutely scathing when the situation calls for it! Assholes get roasted on the spot if they dare to mess with his BFF. (Be aware: He can take a punch, but he’s not much of a fighter, despite his willingness to get into physical danger for you. Don’t let things get too heated or you’ll have to help patch him up later.) 🩹

>Texts you often and at all times of the day because of his insomnia. If something reminds him of you, you’ll know about it. 💬

>Highly sentimental. He keeps receipts, tickets, photos, and other small mementos from the times you’ve hung out together and talks about those memories with a deep, rose-colored fondness.  🎫💭

>Always wants you to talk about your feelings (sometimes to the point of prying), loves it when you tell him your secrets, and plays therapist for you all the time. He delights in lending an ear when you want to vent and when he gets you to spill all those juicy personal details, especially the ones you haven’t really told anybody else about before. Letting him know those things about you means that you trust him enough to be vulnerable and that you two have a really strong bond. He’ll always be there for you, no matter what! ♾💙

[anyalovesu]

tolerate it.

x. i made you my temple, my mural, my sky

—“i can’t seem to explain how it all happened, but one day it all started to make sense and not make sense at the same time. leon became more important to me than he ever was before, and it was scary—the feeling of it was, because it would mean that if i lost him again it would hurt so more.”

necessary reminders !

—leon and eli does 🔞 stuff at some point of the chapter.

— it's my first time attempting to write something like this, so if it turns out bad pls cut me some slack hehe

— it's not piv but i think i still needs to be labeled at 18+ so pls pls pls if you are UNDER 18 and is reading this fic, do not interact with this post.

— MDNI MDNI MDNI MDNI MDNI MDNI

— again mdni pls pls pls

— if this is not your kind of shit, dni too hehe tnx sm

click here for bianca + gremlins gc convo

continue here (alonzo park and leon park's conversation)

Leon thought of it. Alonzo Park was right. It is easier to love someone when you’ve already seen them at their worst. Maybe that’s a tad bit toxic to fall for someone at their worst, but really, his mom’s and Eli’s versions of worst wasn’t half as bad at all. It really was just realizing that they never meant to be bad. It’s just that hurt people hurts people and he is no stranger to feeling that way. Leon wasn’t going to deny the fact that he hurt Eli when he was in that position too.

A month ago, everything was a huge mess and maybe he really did underestimate how hard this was for Elijah. After all, if Eli was the one who left him, which was unlikely, he would’ve reacted the same way that she did, worse even. It’s stupid how it took him seeing almost every single canvas Elijah has painted on to realize that she took the deeper cuts when the fallout maimed them both. While he was dating around the past four years, Eli was continuously mourning the longest friendship that she has ever known. While he was enjoying the comfort of someone else’s arms, and while technically Eli was too, it can’t be denied that the hurt inside her never healed. 

And now pulling over in the driveway of the house that Eli and her team built, never felt more welcoming. It never felt more accepting of him after their conversation back in Batangas and their conversation during their way back. 

Elijah must be some kind of saint in her past life to only take an apology and heal, because it never would’ve been the same way if it was him who was placed in that kind of position. After everything that she has done for him, to be abandoned because he allowed himself to be manipulated to do so, was something he never would’ve forgiven. But Eli did. Elijah understood. It was what she fell asleep reminding him when they were in Batangas. That he should also forgive himself because it wasn’t his hands for someone to use his own capability to love against him. 

Gaeul’s sharp pitchy barks filled his ears as soon as he was out of his car. The little white dog jumped happily as soon as she was let out on the front door porch. Leon recalls how good Gaeul really was in letting everyone know that one of her family members was home. He was actually expecting her to be more timid after being introduced into a place that wasn’t his apartment nor was their family home, but it seemed that she adjusted really quickly into the house. It must’ve excited her that it wasn’t just her and Leon anymore.

“Dinner’s ready, dalian mo na d’yan, nauna na mag dinner si Gaeul sa’yo,” Eli tells him.

Leon chuckles. “Sermon agad? Hindi ba p’wedeng kiss muna?”

“Kumain muna,” she whined, stomping her foot, making Leon laugh at how childish it was. “Ang tagal tagal mo nagugutom na ako!”

“Bakit hindi ka pa kumain?”

“Bro, you were the one who asked that we eat dinners together as much as possible,” Elijah rolled her eyes at him playfully.

For a moment he really did forget that he was the one who asked for her to be home for dinners, but she rarely ever was home on time. She always worked extra hours just to avoid him, which he understood why she did by all means. He eventually got into eating his dinners alone and falling asleep before she came home.

Except the past few days though. She was home at the expected time that she would be with distance and her office hours considered. It was too good to be true that he and Eli were finally seeing eye to eye like they did before.

It made his heart full to think that Eli is finally warming up to him.

“I did ask you to do that,” he smiled to himself as he picked up Gaeul from the floor and settled her on a chair right across Eli.

Elijah looked so at peace having dinner with him. The peace was too much for him to ruin with his announcement that he’ll be gone for almost a week. It’s not that Eli would not last a day without him—she’s made it clear that she survived 4 great years without him. What bothered him was the fact that he was the one who couldn’t bear to do it. He didn’t want to make her feel like he was leaving her again. They were just beginning to bond again, he didn’t want to ruin their sweet streak and risk being ignored once he got back.

“You’re quiet,” Eli pointed out. 

Leon still didn’t know how to tell her. He can’t say no to his parents especially if it’s company related. He is expected to step up after his dad retires, he’ll be risking slipping up and making a bad image for the board if he declines this.

“Gusto mo na bang daanan ni Monet sa shelter bukas?” He asked. 

Eli’s face lit up but it makes Leon’s stomach churn despite the phenomenal medium done steak in front of him when he realizes he’s not gonna feel that same relief from seeing Eli look so happy for a couple of days. Whipped. That’s what he is.

He shied away from allowing himself to feel that way because he was guilty that he was replacing Margot so quickly. But everyone else was right, they were already trapped in this with no way out anymore. This and nothing else. So it’s either you enjoy it or live your life miserable. Margot was well aware of that, even days before Leon found out that he’s getting married to someone else. While it may be bizarre to be able to accept that the person you loved so much is getting married to someone else, Margot was able to do it. After all, she knew this was a possibility when she got with Leon. There’s a long history of forced marriages in the family to even hope that they would be spared.

“As soon as possible sana,” she smiled at him, looking down on the steak happily as she munched on it. “Did you get her stuff na?”

“Yeah, dog food and everything else. I got her a cute matching bed with Gaeul, tignan mo mamaya.”

“You sound like a girl-dad na nahshopping spree,” Eli teased, laughing. Leon blushed a little, at the mere thought of them having actual children getting brought up.

“I am a girl-dad na nagshopping spree,” Leon quips. “What are you talking about?”

—

“Kanina ka pang parang may gusto sabihin,” Eli mentions, sitting on the counter next to the sink as she watches Leon do the dishes, Gaeul now settled in the extra rooms in her comfy little dog bed.

Leon didn’t know how to tell her that it was eating him up everytime he thought of it though it was inescapable. He should just spend as much time with her as possible right? That seemed appropriate to do.

“I was thinking that you should move to the Master’s bedroom—”

“Palit tayo ng kwarto?”

“Timang,” Leon snorted, shaking his head at Eli’s playful response. She knew what he meant though, and she’s not against it. She slept well when he was next to her even though she thought he left when she fell asleep. “Kasama ako s’yempre.”

“Gusto mo lang ako katabi eh,” Eli teased, even playfully pinching his cheek but Leon managed to get a hold of her hand before she could take it back. 

Leon hummed in agreement before kissing the back of her hand softly and placing it on his cheek carefully. The look in his eye was longing, craving to feel any sort of physical touch from Elijah herself as if he was already missing her and he hadn't even left.

“Yea,” he replied, leaning over to wrap his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. “Gusto kitang katabi matulog.”

“Are you okay, Leon?” she asked, concern lacing the tone of her voice as she made him look up at her, eyes looking weary of why Leon seemed so bothered since he got home.

He shook his head honestly, “why?” she follows, holding him by both of his cheeks trying to pry an answer from him.

Why hasn’t he told her? Is he shy? Is he embarrassed? Or was it really just hard to admit to himself that he’s at risk of coming home to something completely different than what he left?

“Papunta kami nila Kuya sa Cebu next week,” he mumbled quietly.

“Anong problema doon?”

“I don’t want to leave you,” he added, saying it truthfully. 

He was expecting her to burst out in laughter and find it funny that he’s reacting this way. He is a grown ass man afraid to miss a girl that’s not even his girlfriend his fiancée lol, it was something funny in his head but it did not seem like that in Eli’s head.

“I’m gonna be alright, Leon,” she let out a soft chuckle.

“4 days rin kasama sila Kuya Santi…” He explained.

“That’s okay. Kuya Santi is maligalig like me, you won’t miss me too much.”

“Hahalikan ba ako ni Kuya Santi, ha?” 

That threw Eli out and finally made her burst into laughter.

“Please don’t kiss my brother,” she giggled before flinging her arms on both sides of his neck to pull him closer in between her legs. “I’m here pa naman.”

Leon hummed, pushing his face dangerously close to hers before asking, “You want me to kiss you instead, ha?”

“If that means you won’t kiss other people sa Cebu, then yes.” That was a bold reply but something expected of Eli. All her generosity aside, Eli liked her favorite things to herself. She was quite territorial when it came to people.

“Not planning on it,” he replied before pressing his lips firmly on hers, mouths immediately molding into the fit of each other’s mouths like it was always made to be there. 

It was wet and hot, Eli could feel her heart pounding against her chest but for once in her life she wasn’t afraid that it was going to be a panic attack, especially when Leon’s cold hands were creeping under her pajama shirt making her gasp. Leon smirks at his plan working, taking the chance to slide his tongue between her parted lips. His brain then goes into a frenzy as her fingertips begin fiddling with the hair on the back of his head. He can’t seem to pull away even if he was slowly running out of breath. Addicted, that’s what he is.

“Kuya Santi won’t kiss you like that, no?” Eli joked when they pulled away, panting because of how long they had been kissing.

“Magtigil ka nga, hindi naman kuya mo ang gusto kong halikan,” Leon shrugged, wiping the wet parts of the side of her lips as he chuckled at Eli’s childishness.

“So, just me?”

 He knows she’s doing it on purpose but the feigned innocence in her face as she asks is admittedly working on him.

“Tara na sa taas, kuhanin mo na ang mga gamit mo sa kwarto mo doon ka sa kwarto natin,” he chuckled, grabbing her by the waist again and carrying her down the countertop.

—

Eli doesn’t recall how she got there but there she was on Leon’s bed, him already changed in his loose shirt and boxers with hands gripping firmly on her waist from under her shirt while her knees were on either side of his thighs. Their lips sealed together like every second that their lips were an inch apart is a waste of time. 

It was unusual how all of a sudden she was craving his lips like she has been starving, but it only felt right even if it’s Leon...because it’s Leon. 

Stuck in her little paradox, the other person in the equation, Leon, was slowly growing embarrassed of how hard he was growing while his hands roamed around her torso, careful not to go any higher and do something she would be uncomfortable with. He was hesitant to put her in a position she did not want to be in but it seemed like Eli felt differently, when she pulled away and asked something Leon never would’ve thought he’ll ever live long enough to hear, 

“Do you want me to take it off?” she asked, referring to her pajama shirt that was clearly restricting Leon from doing what he’s been wanting to do.

“‘Wag na kung hindi ka komportable,” Leon chuckled at her lightly, pressing a soft kiss of her cheek before she shoots her next question, which ultimately sends Leon’s brain to short circuit.

“Can I move?”

“Can you what—” but before there was a coherent thought formed in his head, Eli shifted to make herself more comfortable before pressing herself hard on him, causing friction to where he needed it most. “Shit, yes, Ellie,” he moaned before capturing her lips once again, hands finding home in her waist once again guiding her movement. “Fuck.”

Eli whines quietly next to his ear, pressing open mouthed kisses behind it as she moves faster, putting more pressure as Leon’s shameless moans fills in the room, even more so when she takes his hand, which still carefully navigated the skin on her back and waist, to her mound, allowing him to squeeze the soft skin on it, thumbing on the already hardened nipple.

“God, baby,” Leon moans, removing his free hand from her waist and finding its way to Eli’s neck to kiss her again, mumbling incoherent praises against her lips before his tongue slots between her lips once again which she willingly gives him permission to do so. “So good for me, Ellie…”

Eli’s hips began to move frantically, chasing her high. Leon practically doing the same, leisuring on the feeling of her soft mound against his hand as she grinded himself against Eli, trying to meet her movements as much as he could.

God. That really just sends Eli’s brain to go haywire too, unable to form any logical form of thought just—Leon. Leon. Leon. Leon. Leon. Leon. Leon—throwing all shame out the window as she shamelessly moaned his name over and over in between longing gasps against his lips while she grinded against his hard-on, realizing how big it was and how safe of a choice it was to not go down that route tonight.

The next thing she knew, as if there was more shame to throw out the window, she was cursing, pleading, even crying for Leon to let her come. 

Leon thought that she didn’t have to but it would be a bigger shame to tell that he wasn’t turned on by it. He loved every second of it, every word leaving her mouth.

“Go on, baby,” he hummed, carefully wiping the tears off her face before he found his hand back on her waist, guiding her to put more pressure as she moved before letting out a string of soft moans.

The mere sound of her moans was embarrassingly enough to finish too.

Shit. 

“Are you okay?” Leon hummed, holding her shivering body against his. All Elijah gave was a quiet nod as she clings to him.

He then caresses the soft hair on her head while the other rubbed circles on the expanse of her back under her shirt. “Sure? I need to hear you say it, Ellie.”

“I’m okay, Leon,” she hummed, nuzzling her face further into his neck.

“Alright, tara na maglinis,” he hummed, kissing the top of her head once again before he carried her up to the bathroom. “I’ll get you clothes, you do your thing, alright?”

Eli nodded at him, still having the same dilated eyes from earlier as Leon closed the door allowing her to clean herself up from her soiled shorts and underwear.

Fuck. That really just happened.

—

Days went by so quickly, Monet had settled in well with Gaeul and was currently being dropped by in a pet daycare to be watched over and trained in the morning when both Eli and Leon were at work. They’ve also settled in well on who picks up the dogs from daycare. To say the least, in a span of a couple of days, they have been functioning well as furparents and maybe occasionally as a proper couple as well—mostly it was making out and cuddling in the bed while they wait for Eli’s chamomile tea to cool down a bit but the rest really were just looking out for each other—which by the way was a basic thing a human would do if they live in the same roof with someone. 

It was also half because their intimate activities left Eli wondering if there really was more to their relationship long before it was a topic for thought. Leon, on the other hand, was just too focused on keeping it together before he finally leaves, making sure he doesn’t do anything that will cause a drift between them before he leaves.

“Hindi ka man lang magbibilin?” Leon playfully asks, as he leans back on the trunk of Eli’s car that brought all four of them to airport. 

“Basta umuwi ka ng buo at iisa—”

“What do you mean iisa?”

“Baka uwi ka ng may anak na—” 

“May mga anak na ako dito, bakit ako uuwi ng may ibang anak?” Leon playfully flicks her forehead as she rolled her eyes at him. 

“Buntis ka?” Yves looks at her, eyes wide in shock.

“OA,” Eli shrugged at him. “Si Monet at Gaeul ang mga anak. Mukha ba akong capable maging nanay ha?”

“Aba malay ko ba!”

Leon chuckled at their banter. As much as he had the urge to get jealous for how close they seemed, but it’s Architect Yves. He knows how much this person supported her like Santi would have when no one else could. There’s an understanding that they could only look at each other from a sibling light.

“We should go,” Leon smiled, pressing a soft kiss on Eli’s lips before pressing another on her forehead, giving it his all not to let the tears fall. 

“Oh my god, kailangan ba sa harap namin?” Santi complained, pulling Leon away from his little sister before giving her a tight hug. “Kadiri ha!”

“Ingat kayo,” Eli hummed. “Take care of each other, alright?”

“Ingat kuya,” she smiled, giving Yves and Tobi their hugs before they parted. 

The car ride home from the airport to Yang ENT. was quiet, painfully for that matter. The obvious difference of the atmosphere in her car on their way there somehow irked her, like she wasn’t used to silence anymore.

“Ba’t ganyan ang itsura mo?” Ynes asked, chuckling lightly as she went to hug Eli’s sullen figure. “Para kang pinagsakluban d’yan.”

“The office is quiet,” she pouted at her best friend. “Walang mga kuya na magaaway the whole week.”

Truth to be told, while Eli liked her silence, there was something about her brothers’ noise that comforted her. Something about hearing Leon yap about his day sounded like home. The silence now was cold and crisp, something that resembled the silence at home whenever her papa was mad at her for some reason she never really understood even at her big age now.

It’s always been her and the silence. Life out of that was greater than she ever thought she was, now home wasn’t home anymore without the joyful noise that reminded her that it is nice that she is alive.

“Hala si ate ko umiyak,” Ynes chuckles at her bestfriend, engulfing her in a tighter embrace. “Ito naman parang ‘di nag-grade two! Uuwi naman ‘yung mga ‘yon!”

“Uuwi ‘yon, ano ba itong babae na ‘to!” Ynes really tried to maake something light out of the situation but deep inside she knew that this was hard for her. She hasn’t lived in the same roof with her brother for a couple of years now, but they always saw each other at work. It wasn’t a big adjustment for her. Living with Leon now would be another conversation, because this is the first time in a couple days since they made amends that Leon would be away from her.

“Gusto ko sumama sa Cebu, babes,” she cried like a child na iniwan ng magulang. The funny thing was she never cried to her parents after being left at home—she was used to that Elizalde and Soren Yang had always been busy people, being left to caretakers and secretaries was no big deal to her. So why does that right now seem so heavy for her? 

“It’s your first time being loved like that and being left behind, ano?”

Maybe it’s the way that Ynes’ words made her think of it or the way that she was not sure why she really was acting this way, but that made her stop and look at Ynes.

It’s the first time someone that made her very loved had to leave her behind. The first time that someone wasn’t going to be constantly gonna be there for her. And it was different before when Leon left because she didn’t feel that way for him back then. She was far from mature to actually take the time to acknowledge her own feelings when all that happened but it’s different now.

“It’s okay to feel that way, babes,” Ynes smiled at her, squeezing her arm to give her reassurance. “It’s human to miss the people that you love.”

“You think I love Leon?” she asked, slightly tilting her head up to level her sight with Ynes.

“The same way he loves you, Elijah,” Ynes sighs. “Alam kong itatanggi mo nanaman kasi ayaw mong maguilty na kawawala n’yo lang ni Isaac, but Eli, life is not going to end if you hurt Isaac lalo na at hindi rin naman s’ya mabuting tao.”

click here to continue (housemates' gc)

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ characters ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ previous ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ next ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

[a-wholelotta-love]

Totnt 1938! Episode 3 thoughts!

*Spoiler Alert*

Okay, so this is going to be a routine thing! Coz i need to talk about the episodes in order to not go crazy. But man! What was today's episode. So much to unpack. But let's start again with some major moments that i need to discuss or some that i need to gush about-

Lee Yeon talking to Shin ju about Rang. I am equally annoyed and happy about this scene. I don't know how to explain my thoughts. Like the fact that Shin ju reminded Yeon that hey, you have your Rang here. I was like, bro, no one should be reminding you of this. You should be grateful every second that you get to see him again. Not everyone gets that chance. Also, Rang hearing how Yeon is only there for a month. My boi is so confused right now and it just hurts me for some reason.

Okay, I am really conflicted about Ryu Hong joo's character. While I find her truly bad ass in the drinking bet scene, I am a little irked by how difficult it is for her to deal with a rejection. She was almost ready to assault Yeon at his weakest and even got that guy to fight off against demons just because she can not take a no. Like Ah, why. You are such a bad ass strong woman. Can i please have you behave a little rationally.

Now, favourite moment, Yeon and Rang's interactions this season are just completely melting me, killing me, hurting me and then fixing me. I love how worried Yeon seems to be about Rang every moment. But Rang's confusion about it and his act to look unfazed and unaffected hurts my heart. Boy has been looking for this love and affection all his life. But it's so hard for him to trust. When Yeon said, "You needed family. It doesn't matter whether I am fake or real". He hit the spot right on. And how he tried acting tough when Yeon could not see but you could see the worry in his eyes and he just gave up after a point, feeding his brother, guiding him in the right direction and teasing him. The way he looked back in yeon's direction when going to perform that exorcism. I am telling you it's breaking my heart. I don't think I will survive the ending of this show if Rang gets left behind.

The little girl Lea's story was actually so painful and my angry self from season 1 just went, "Look Yeon, all the pain you caused by abandoning the mountain." I know, I know he did it for his love but the amount of pain it caused to, not just Rang, but so many creatures. They burnt the mountain down while your brother was there. All forms of life died and people who relied on you suffered. I don't know but her story made me think of little Rang crying for Yeon with blackie in his arms. Such a sore topic for me.

Next, isn't the Mermaid a representation of me ( All rang simps) .Ah, "It was love at first sight." Well, tbh, with Rang, I was interested in first sight but I fell in love slowly and steadily and then all at once. But yess, I am happy to have one person in Rang's corner who loves him unconditionally. I hope they let him be happy though I am really apprehensive of it.

The Rang and Shin ju conversation. Gosh, after all these years as strangers, you both come pretending to be nice. My boi 🥺 that's because they really know how kind you are. Kind enough to die for them. 🥺 Even in the well, even when he is confused why Shin ju is being nice to him, he still tries to keep him alive so that both of them don't end up dying. He pushes him up while he knows he will most probably die if yeon does not come soon. 🥺 This Rang who does not even know this Shin ju, will still try to protect him if he can.

Also, the writers trying to kill my baby boi Rangie every alternate episode, is this going to be a routine thing too ?? I need to know so that i can prepare myself.

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 8 Ep. 118: Making Light of the Situation

Peachy was overjoyed that his pregnancy was nearing its end. The experience had rarely been fun for him, but the funny man could always relieve stress by turning his struggle into comedy for others.

The stream he’d recorded at the Humor and Hijinks Festival, joking about the trials and tribulations of being with child, caught the attention of the owner of the hottest amateur comedy club in SimNation. Gigs there were invite only, and Peachy was stoked to get the opportunity to work that stage.

One night after work Jack treated them both to a movie and afterwards, they headed to the local coffee shop to meet with the manager. Alison told Peachy how much she loved his work and they arranged for him to come perform the following weekend.

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

The day of the show Jack joined Peachy in the green room and told his husband that the venue was giving him a strong feeling of de ja vu. It was very similar to a popular hot spot back home he’d met Karwan at a few times, although, he said with a smile, not quite as fabulous.

To demonstrate, Jack pulled out his phone and showed Peachy an old viral simtube clip of Elevan performing there as Ms. Silver Bullet. Peachy joked that in his current condition he would fit in well, although not as well as his Grandy Japer, who would have really loved the scene.

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

Peachy had no need to dress up here but Jack had bought him a little something special anyway. His best bro declared the gift “perfect”. He quickly changed and was prepped and ready to go on stage in no time.

Before he headed out to the main area to cheer him on Jack favored his spouse and their baby with a kiss, asking his little one as he did so to give Daddy a break tonight so he could concentrate on the performance.

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

Peachy had let all their friends and family know about his show, and between them and the hotspot’s usual crowd the place was packed.

Peachy was no stranger to performing in front of a large audience by now and he didn’t let that phase him. In fact, he found this particular set to be easier than most, the jokes timely to his situation and based in the hard truth of a pregnancy that had been far from enjoyable. For someone like him though, finding the funny in his misfortune and sharing it with others was the best medicine he could ask for.

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

After the show the boys made the rounds, thanking friends, family and fans for coming out to support them.

For once Peachy was even excited to have strangers come up and comment on him and his baby in the making, couched as it was this time around in praise and sympathy for the pregnancy stories he had shared from the stage.

It seemed his jokes had really resonated with other Sims who had been where he was, and that felt fantastic.

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

After a quick chat with the manager to collect his payment and thank Alison for the opportunity, she told Peachy he could return anytime.

As they headed towards the underground station to que up for the trip home Jack snuggled Peachy close, listening to him babble about how much fun he’d had. His difficult gestation had left him with little energy to do much and he hadn’t gotten out to the clubs to perform live very often.

Tonight had reminded him how much he enjoyed it, and he couldn’t wait to get back out there again soon!

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

Want To See More? View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[mlobsters]

supernatural s13e1 lost and found (w. andrew dabb)

metallica's nothing else matters for the road so far recap? mmmk. i loved the black album.* it's in my big playlist right now! and nothing else matters was very teen angst sad boy shit appropriate for me (album came out when i was 11 and i remember it featuring at middle school dances) but this song is way too downtempo for the clips/editing as it progresses before we get to the loud parts. weird choice. and maybe shows do this all the time and it's not with songs i know well enough to notice, but splitting the song up midway through is very jarring. i get cutting down the long instrumental intro, but segueing into lyrics differently? buh. stranger things did it with atmosphere by joy division and it wasn't terrible, but noticeable. but the scene/song combo was so impactful to me i didn't care because i was a mess

the overriding theme here with this song and clip selection is like 🚨FAMILY 🚨okay bro, i get it. calm down. is this why i see people harping on how the show is about family, not just sam and dean? is this gonna be A Thing? or am i projecting? both?? i have literally nothing else i might want do if i don't watch this. but i also don't really want to watch this. sigh.

and now i'm all distracted by them using some new fancy filming technique while they're driving where they're being paced and we're seeing the conversation from the outside and it was cool at first but it keeps going and now i'm just too busy trying to figure out where the camera is and where it's going and getting vaguely dizzy.

i get what and why they're doing this thing with jack being at the station with the sheriff but also. im tired

all right. this also reminds me of hmm. combo leo in titanic and ...josh hartnett in pearl harbor?? o.0

glad sam is totally freaked out and afraid of jack, as he should be

JACK (still fondling the wall) Lucifer? No, that's not his name. My father is Castiel.

LOL transcriber! fondling?? how about touching. anyway. papa castiel it is

MIRIAM I don't know what he's told you. I mean, I can guess. Some line about how he and his brother… (deepens voice) save the world. Grr. So macho. (she sighs and speaks in her normal voice) But really, he's not a hero. He's Becky. DEAN Becky? The roommate Becky? MIRIAM You take things and break things and piss people off, and just do whatever you want, no matter who it hurts. Also, you're a giant super bitch. DEAN Well, it takes one to know one. MIRIAM So, yeah, you're Becky, and Becky needs to die.

really odd choice to go with becky for this whole story business, unless they're invoking the actual becky from the show it's just confusing. i really hope it's not show-becky.

i think these are the angels that were in the script in 12x23? got 'em in now, i guess. so i thought carver was around for s12 but apparently it switched to dabb/singer as showrunners that season

....why did the angel just stab the sheriff's kid...? i know they're generally not big on humans but stabbing one for no real reason other than some distraction seems a bit excessive.

MIRIAM: Oh, sweetie. Almost anything. Castiel, he's dead. All the way dead, because of you.

rolling my eyes. that's a reach to try to induce a guilt trip

conveniently got confirmation that jack can't be killed easily, as expected being how they talk him up like he's more powerful than anything basically for whatever reason

DEAN Okay, Chuck… or God, or whatever. I need your help. See, you– you left us. You left us. You went off. You said… You said the earth would be fine because it had me… and it had Sam, but it’s not, and we’re not. We’ve lost everything. And now you’re gonna bring him back. Okay? You’re gonna bring back Cas, you’re gonna bring back Mom, you’re gonna bring ‘em all back. All of ‘em. Even Crowley. ’Cause after everything that you’ve done, you owe us, you son of a bitch. So you get your ass down here and you make this right, right here and right now.

being a cynical asshole but ok scenic backdrop for this praying to chuck that he could have done in the car. and he's giving my kids when they want something. need some foot stomping. punch something and risk breaking your hand instead, good choice

i think there's a handful of reasons** but i have never emotionally connected with cas and this... angsting and preparing to burn him and all, knowing that it's all going to be walked back at some point, it's just frustrating and exhausting. and now we're mourning cas, kelly, mom, crowley....

i didn't want to be sitting and stewing over pondering the logistics of how cas comes backs so i went and looked it up. and um, okay. i'm sure i'll have some thoughts about when it rolls around.

well, suffice it to say, i didn't particularly enjoy this episode. and had surprisingly little (for me) to say about it.

**his characterization that seems to change week to week is part of it and how the show talked up his relationship with the boys but didn't match up to what they were showing us for seasons on end. and unfortunately, how some sectors of fandom are about him also i think has an effect. which is a bummer all the way around

*oh james. i do enjoy your voice. i saw them live once or twice i think, but i don't really remember it. it was in the days of the album with the blood and jizz on the cover, which people didn't like. the songs or the jizz, i think

according to wikipedia, james also didn't like the blood and jizz artwork, and says homophobic shit in his explanation. great!

[libraryofloveletters]

Ok blurb concept, reader is Eddies sister who works as a kindergarten teacher (just like bundle of beautiful sunshine) but Eddie said Buck isn’t allowed to date her like at all. And they just are secretly dating and Eddie goes to Bucks apartment for a surprise bro night but Buck and Y/N going at it on the couch and Eddie just walks in and... yeah... sorry if that’s hells specific!

-A💕

Sisters & Misters 

Evan Buckley x Diaz!Reader, Eddie Diaz x Sister!Reader

Warnings: Fem!reader, kissing, alcohol consumption, mentions of drugs and sex toys, sibling disagreements, arguments, tears, one or two swear words

Category: Angst/fluff

Word Count: 6.2k

Author’s note: this is a longggg one, anyway enjoy! this one’s for you A <3

----

Her heels click on the concrete floors as she enters the station. 

“Edmundo?!” her voice carries through the entire station. 

All eyes were on the man sitting at the table. His head perks up at the sound of her voice, eyes going wide. “Oh fuck. Buck, stall her, I’ll explain later.” Eddie pushes the chair back and walks towards the bunks, leaving his best friend to deal with the woman looking for him. Buck’s eyes flicker between the room and then the stairs, surely Eddie had a good reason for his sudden disappearance. 

Jogging down the stairs, he comes face to face with a woman. He took a moment to admire her, a simple black top tucked into a skirt with a floral pattern. A pair of black heels tying the look together. To say she was breathtakingly beautiful would be an understatement. 

“Eddie's in the shower. Can I help you?” Buck asks the woman who was now looking him up and down. 

“You are?” 

“Evan Buckley, call me Buck” a smile on his face. 

“Is my brother really in the shower or is he hiding from me?” the amusement audible in her voice.

“If I tell you the truth, what are you gonna do?” 

“Depends. Why did he have Abuela pick up Chris from school ?”

“I- uh, I don’t have the answer to that.” 

The woman hums, Buck glances back at the kitchen. “Is he up there?” she asks him and before Buck can answer, she pushes past him and makes her way upstairs. 

“You can’t be up here- never mind” Buck doesn’t bother chasing after her when he sees her approaching her brother. Eddie shot Buck a glare, Buck mouths a ‘sorry’ before taking a seat on the couch.

He can hear bits of the conversation. She’s yelling at him for having Abuela pick up Christopher when she specifically told him that she would do it. Eddie tries to reason with her but she doesn’t listen to him. Buck watches the two of them and smiles to himself. The Diaz siblings remind him a lot of him and Maddie when they were younger- even up to now, they still bickered like children. Her hand stretched out, seeming like she was waiting for Eddie to give her something. He then reaches into his pocket, fishing his keys out and giving them to her. A smile on her face, she kisses his cheek and turns towards the stairs. 

“Nice to meet you Buck” smiling at the man on the couch, she makes her way down the stairs. 

Buck mumbles a bye when he can feel Eddie’s eyes on him. “What was that about?” Buck leans back on the couch, looking at his friend. Eddie sighs and shakes his head, sitting on the couch beside Buck. 

“That was my sister, y/n” 

“I gathered that much” 

“She’s off work today and said she’d pick up Chris from school but she had to take her car into the shop. She was running late and I called Abuela to pick up Chris. I didn’t exactly tell her about the change in plans so she was kind of shocked when she showed up and saw Abuela there with Chris.” 

Buck chucked, “what does she do ?” 

“She’s a kindergarten teacher. She works at the school down the street from my place- Chris’s old school” 

“Hm that’s cool but why did she take your keys ?” 

“Oh, yeah. Her car is still in the shop. She took my truck so I'm gonna need a ride home tonight” he gives his friend a small smile. Buck laughs and nods, “yeah, I got you” 

--- 

Eddie and Buck were on the way to Eddie’s house. The two men stopped for pizza per request of Christoper. After Eddie’s sister left the station, she picked up Chris and went back to Eddie’s place. 

Eddie walked in first, Buck followed him in. “Buddy! I’m home!” Eddie calls for Chris, he glances at you laying on the couch. You didn’t realize that Eddie hasn't come home alone so your attention was still on the tv. Eddie leaves Buck in the living room and walks to Christopher’s room. 

Buck puts the box of pizza on the coffee table, that’s when you realized he was there. Pulling your legs back towards your side of the couch, you sit up. 

“Hey” you smile at the man now sitting on the other side of the couch. 

“Hi” he returns the smile. 

“How was work ?” you ask as you get up off the couch 

“It was fine, just a regular day.” His eyes follow you as you walk into the kitchen. You had discarded the heels and changed from your top and skirt, now in a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt, you seemed more relaxed. 

“Do you want a beer ?” calling for him, he shouts back a yes. Buck makes his way to the kitchen, you hand him a bottle and turn to the drawers. “Where’s the opener?” mumbling to yourself and tumbling through the drawer. 

Buck taps your shoulder, handing you an open bottle. Your brows furrowed, had he found the opener ? Buck picks up the other bottle and twists the cap off, you hum and mumble a thanks before hopping up on the counter. Eddie’s now in the living room with Chris, he tells him that he’d be right back with a plate.

Eddie opens the cupboard next to you, he glances at you. “Are those my clothes ?” 

“Mhm hm” taking a sip of your beer, your eyes were on Buck. He smiles at you and takes a seat at the kitchen table. 

“You went in my room ?” 

“I did. Is that an issue ? Do you have something to hide ?” 

“Obviously not” Eddie rolls his eyes. 

“Drugs ?” your question earns a smack to the arm from your brother. “Oh my god, sex toys?” you gasp, you know Eddie would shout at you for that one. 

“Y/n! Shut up! Chris is right there” 

“You didn’t say no.. but good for you” Eddie groans in annoyance, Buck on the other hand, chokes on his beer when you congratulate your brother on his alleged sex toy. Eddie shoots you a glare and goes to the living room to help Chris with the pizza. 

“So, you” turning your attention to Buck, “do you have siblings ?” 

“Yeah, a sister. Maddie.” 

“Oh yeah, Ed’s told me about her. She’s the one dating um- what’s his name ?” 

“Chimney ?”

“Yeah! That’s it!” Buck smiles at you. Eddie returns to tell you that the pizza is going to get cold if you don’t eat it soon. You and Buck pause your conversation and go to eat. The rest of the evening was spent with the 3 guys, Christoper tells you about all the times he and Buck hung out. Eddie and Buck also tell you about the first time they met, how Buck was jealous - he claims he wasn’t- and how they pulled a grenade out of a man. 

“Alright buddy. Time for bed” Eddie turns to Chris who is now groaning. “Ten more minutes dad” he looks at his father, his best pout on his face. Eddie smiles at his son, ruffling his hair before kissing the top of his head. “Come on, you’ve got school in the morning. Buck’ll come back another day and hang out.” Eddie reasons with him, Chris looks at Buck. 

“Promise you’ll come over this weekend ?” 

“Yeah, of course” he smiles at Chris. Chris gives Buck a hug and then comes over to you and gives you one too. “Sleep well kiddo” kissing his cheek, you smile at the little boy as he goes to meet his father in his room. 

Once again, it’s just you and Buck in the living room. Breaking the silence, you speak up first. “You’re good with him” 

“It’s not hard. He’s a great kid” 

“Can I-” “Are you-” the sentences cut each other off. “You first” you smile at him, he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. Letting a sigh, he glances towards the hallway. “Can I get your number ?” 

“Oh I actually have a boyfriend” 

“Oh you’re- oh god. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were dating-” “Buck, I'm kidding.” biting the inside of your cheek to hold back a laugh, Buck visibly relaxes. He hands the phone to you, letting you put your number in his phone. 

When Eddie returns from Christoper’s room, he stops and watches you and Buck on the couch. Buck’s arm draped over the back on the couch, his hand on your shoulder. You were leaning into Buck’s side, your arm on his thigh, propping yourself up. To a stranger, the two of you would pass as a couple. 

Eddie wasn’t pleased at all. 

“Buck, it’s pretty late, isn't it?” He asks, stepping further into the living room. Buck raises a brow, Eddie seemed to be in a hurry to get him out of there. You on the other hand, knew exactly what your brother was playing at. It was pretty late and both he and Eddie had a shift the next morning but Eddie had his own reason for wanting Buck to go. 

“You know what?” you sit up, “I'll watch Chris tomorrow and I'll swing by the station to see you” you tell Eddie, but that last part about swinging by the station was directed to Buck. 

“Carla’s coming tomorrow” Eddie gives you a look, he also knew what you were playing at. 

“Give her the day off. It’s Saturday and I'd love to spend the day with my nephew.” giving you brother a look, he knew you weren't going to back down so he gave in. 

“Yeah, um- I'll get going” Buck stands, he looks back at you on the couch and smiles. “See you tomorrow” once again, a statement said to Eddie but directed to someone else- you. 

When Buck stepped out, Eddie turned to you. “I know what you’re thinking” he says, a confused expression on your face. “And what am I thinking?” 

“You like him.” Eddie sits beside you. 

“Mhm hm” 

“Y/n, don’t.” 

“Eddie, I'm not a baby anymore. You don’t have a say in who I date.” 

“First of all, I'm your brother, I will always have a say. Buck- he’s my friend but he doesn’t exactly have the greatest track record with women. I don’t want you to get hurt, so just don’t. Okay ?” he pleads, you nod. 

“Okay.” you smile at your brother, he leans down and kisses the top of your head. 

Of course, you just tell him what he wants to hear and deep down, he knows that too. When you want something, you always get it, one way or another. 

Buck wouldn’t be the exception. 

---- 

Eddie sees Buck in the locker room when he arrives at work, he heads straight in so he’d have a chance to talk to Buck before work. “Hey man” Eddie smiles at his friend when he walks in. “Hey Eds, what’s up?” Buck returns the smile when he shut his locker door. 

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Eddie shoves his bag in his locker, his back now pressed up against the lockers. Buck was almost 90% sure he knew where this conversation was going but he hummed, waiting for Eddie to say something. 

“You and y/n seemed comfortable on the couch last night” 

“What ?” Buck laughed, he was just sitting beside her. What the hell was Eddie going on about? 

“The arm on the back of the couch, her leaning on you” he says, like that was so obvious. 

“Dude, my arm was just resting there. I sit beside you like that” he gives him a ‘are you serious’ look. 

“Hm” Eddie turns back to his locker, Buck’s face twists into a confused look. 

“Hm? What was that ‘hm’ about?” he asks the man across from him. 

“Nothing” Eddie mumbles, Buck knows Eddie better than he thinks. That ‘hm’ wasn't nothing, it obviously meant something. 

“Eddie, c’mon man. What is it?” 

“You want the truth ?” Eddie shifts to face his friend. 

Buck nods, “always.” Eddie lets out a sigh before he speaks. “She’s my little sister, man and you’re my best friend, you know that” he reaches out, his hand on Buck’s shoulder. “You don’t make the best choices when it comes to relationships and when you do, they tend to leave.” Eddie’s words sunk into the deepest parts of Buck’s heart, he was right- but god did the words hurt. 

“Y/n, she’s young- naive. She doesn't know what she wants and I just don’t want to see her hurt you, and I definitely don’t need you to hurt her either.” 

“Eddie, just say it.” Buck’s head tilts slightly, a small sigh slips past his lips. 

“If you know what’s good for you- both of you, you’ll stay away from her. I won’t allow you to date her.” Eddie tells him, Buck can’t help but laugh. Eddie’s brows furrow, a scowl present on his face. 

“What ?”

“You ‘won’t allow it’? She’s not 12.” he chucked, “I think she’s more than capable of making her own choices.” 

“No, she isn’t but she’s still my sister- and it’ll always be my job to protect her, even if that means protecting her from you.”  

“Are you kidding me ? Protect her from me? Eddie, do you hear yourself ? You act like you’re going to hurt her.” he huffed. 

“One way or another, it’s gonna end with her being hurt and honestly no one-” Eddie cuts his sentence short.

“No one what?” 

“No one is good enough for her, not even you.” and with that, Eddie walks out of the locker room. Buck can’t believe the words that just left his mouth- that last line running through his mind over and over again. 

“Not even you.”

Buck decides that he’d do what was asked of him for once and stay away from you. A crush wasn’t worth ruining his friendship with Eddie over. His phone buzzes in his pocket, pulling it out, he checks who it is. Speak of the devil herself. 

To Buck: Hey, you free tonight ? 

From Buck: Listen I don’t think I should talk to you. It's not you, it's me. 

To Buck: Bullshit

To Buck: It’s neither of us. It’s Eddie and his lack of ability to keep his mouth shut. 

From Buck: He's my friend and your brother. I don’t want to cause problems for us or between the two of you. 

To Buck: Buck, that’s very sweet of you but I'm an adult. I make my own choices even if Eddie isn't happy with them and if he isn't, well that’s just too bad for him. 

From Buck: I understand 

To Buck: So lemme ask again, are you free tonight ? 

From Buck: Yeah, is 7 okay ? 

To Buck: 7 is perfect, I'll see you then 

---- 

A few months has passed, you and Buck are happily in a relationship. Most days together were spent outside of LA, sometimes you’d go to the beach or venture into the little parks or hideaways you’d pass when you’re on the freeway. 

That man meant the world to you but it didn’t feel right sneaking around behind your brother’s back but of course you knew that you couldn’t tell him. 

Today was a normal day for you and Buck, an afternoon spent at some farmer’s market you had wanted to go to and Buck had the day off so he joined you. He was driving back into the city when he looked over at you. 

“Do you wanna go back to my place?” he asks, his hand on your thigh. Your hand rested on top of his, your thumb gently rubbing back and forth. A small hum slips past your lips, Buck takes the noise as a yes and heads back to his place. 

The moment you arrived at his place, you were up the stairs and dropped yourself on his bed. You had been here enough to know where everything was. Buck’s footsteps were loud, his shoes hitting the steps as he made his way up. There was some shuffling and then he dropped onto the bed with you. 

“Hey” he smiles, shifting back onto the pillows.

His back is resting against his pillow that was resting against the headboard of the bed. You on the other hand, were laid face down onto the mattress, you mumbled something when he said hi that he didn’t quite catch. 

“Come here” his leg nudged your shoulder and that’s when you lifted your head to see him against the pillows. Pushing yourself up, you moved over to Buck. Your head on his chest, hair sprawled across his shirt. His arm was wrapped around your body, holding you close to him almost if he let you then you wouldn't be there anymore. The shoulder of your top had fallen from your shoulder when you moved, Buck’s fingers replacing the warmth it provided, adding a different version of warmth. His fingers traced small patterns against your skin, your arm draped over his torso. 

“You know I love you” he whispers, looking down at you. A smile on his face when you look up at your lover, a smile on your face too. “I know, I love you too” 

Buck leans down, his forehead almost touching yours. You met his gaze, watching as his eyes slowly flickered from your eyes down to your lips and then back up again. Leaning in closer, as your lips meet, Buck gently pulls you closer, his hand cupping your cheek and his thumb rubbing affectionately against your jaw. His other hand rested on your waist, you were leaning up, it was uncomfortable for you to keep leaning like that so you shifted yourself onto his lap. Hands coming up to his shoulders, moving to the hair at the nape of his neck. 

Buck pulled away first, his lips moving from yours to your cheek and down towards your neck. A small hum slips past your lips as Buck’s lips reach the little spot at the base of your neck. His arms wrap around your waist, pulling you closer, his body now pressed against yours. Once more, kisses are being pressed around your skin, up to your jaw and back down to your collarbone. You lean back slightly, Buck’s arms holding you from falling back. 

That’s when you see him. Wide eyed and arms folded. 

Your body stiffens up, sitting up straight. Buck doesn't seem to notice the change in your position, he's made his way down to your chest. 

“Buck?” 

“Hm?” 

“Is that Eddie behind me ?” 

The mention of Eddie caused Buck to pull away. He glances over your shoulder to see Eddie standing by the top of the staircase. “Uh- yeah” he mumbled, loosening his hold on you. Getting up off Buck’s lap, you turn to Eddie. 

“How long have you been there?” 

“Long enough to realize that you two aren't just friends” 

“Why are you even here?” you question him again 

“Came to see if Buck wanted to watch the game but clearly, he has other plans - like sleeping with my sister even after I told him not too” his voice raises, he starts walking towards the bed. Your hand pushes against Eddie’s chest, pushing him away from Buck’s bed. 

“What are you gonna do ? Beat him up for kissing me ? I’m a grown up Eddie. Stay out of my business.” 

“Your business ? You’re sleeping with my friend!” 

“Your friend, also happens to be my boyfriend you ass!” you smack your hand against his chest. The anger visible on Eddie’s face and the confusion visible on Buck’s face, the undeniable tension building by the second. 

“Go,” you look at Eddie, pushing him back towards the stairs. “Get out” 

“What ?” 

“Get out.” 

“This isn’t your place, don’t tell me what to do-” “it’s as much her place as it is mine and if she wants you to leave, then you should.” Buck pipes up for the first time during that whole conversation. He gets up off the bed, his arm over your shoulder, holding you close to him. 

Eddie couldn't believe the audacity of the two of you. 

His sister and his best friend. The two people he thought would listen to his concerns, ganging up on him and forcing him out. 

“Yeah, okay.” He turns and makes his way to the stairs, looking back once more at them, “this won’t end well.” 

They watch as Eddie walks down the stairs, the door opening and then slamming shut. A heavy sigh before turning to Buck, the sadness evident on your face. “Oh baby, come here” His arm pulls you into his side. Arms around his torso and your face buried in his chest, his hand gently rubs your back.

Sure, you might have just yelled at Eddie but he was still your brother. He only did what he did with good intentions. Why did things have to be so complicated? 

“What are we going to do?” mumbling, face still buried in his chest. You feel him sigh, “whatever you want to do baby. It’s your choice.” 

“All the pressure on me? Great, thanks so much Evan.” you joke, he chuckles lightly. 

“No, baby. He’s your brother and I know how much he cares about you. Plus your relationship with him is important, so you should do what you think would be best for you, I’ll understand” 

“Are you sure ?” you lean back into his arms, looking up at him. 

“Of course. If you want to stick it out, I can deal with the cold shoulder at work if I really need too but if not, we can...” 

“End things?” you finish his sentence for him, he hums. 

Untangling yourself from him, you sit on the bed. Buck moves and sits next to you. His hand holding yours, fingers intertwined. “I don’t want to lose you” you say quietly, he answers, “I don’t want to lose you too.” There’s a pause in the conversation before Buck speaks up again. “But, I also know that you don’t want to lose him either.” 

“Buck, what are you saying?” glancing at your boyfriend, he gives you a small smile, a sad one nonetheless. 

“I think we should end things.” 

“Buck-” you breathe, “y/n, please. I get what Eddie is trying to do, he’s protecting you the only way he knows how. I’d do the same for Maddie in a heartbeat. I also know that Maddie would do anything to make sure we were okay, no one comes between us- and you two are the same way. So, if ending things is the only way to make sure that you don’t ruin your relationship with your brother, then that’s what we’ll do.” his hand squeezes yours softly. You can feel the tears welling up by your eyes threatening to fall. 

“Are you sure this is what we should do ? Are you okay with this?” 

“Y/n, I'll always be here for you. It’ll always be you” he smiles, his hand coming up to cup your cheek, you smile too. 

“C’mon, I'll walk you down” the two of you get up, hands still holding one another, walking down the stairs and to the door. Turning to look at him, he pulled you back to him, his arms embracing you in a hug- a hug that didn’t feel like a ‘see you later’ but rather a goodbye. 

“I love you, always.” he whispers to you, kissing your temple. You sniffle, holding back tears. “I love you” leaning back into his arms, your hand cups his cheek, your thumb delicately rubbing over his cheekbone. After what felt like forever, you opened the door and stepped out. One last look at him, you muster up as best of a smile as you could. 

“Bye Buck” 

“Bye y/n.” 

You manage to hold it together until you get to the car, the tears that were threatening to fall upstairs were now falling and the reality of what just happened now settling in and felt heavy upon your shoulders. Upstairs, with his back against the door, a similar scene unfolded. Buck made his way back up to his bed, laying down as his arm stretched out to the right side- the side where you were supposed to be but you weren’t. He too, was now feeling the weight of what had just happened and suddenly his apartment started to feel a little bigger and a lot less like home. 

---- 

Over the next few weeks, Eddie starts to notice a change in both his little sister and his best friend. 

You weren't your normal bubbly self. You went from rainbows and sunshine to grey clouds and rainy days. The witty remarks that typically bit Eddie in the ass after saying something stupid came to a halt, the random visits to hangout with your two favourite boys had stopped. It was hard to get you out of your apartment unless you were absolutely needed. 

Buck on the other hand, was quiet. Which of course was strange because he’s Mr. talkative. The same guy that was running head fire into fires and collapsing buildings now waited for instructions. He also didn’t blurt out random facts or babble on about natural disasters. Surely, he still hung out with Eddie and Chris after work but it wasn't the same, Eddie could sense the change in him- Chris noticed too. 

Was he the reason for the change ? He knew that the two of you had ended things and admittedly, he had been pleased when he first found out. Then he started to notice the changes in you and now Buck, things weren't the same. He hadn’t realized how much you two meant to each other until he saw you apart. 

Eddie had the day off, he and Chris were headed to the beach for the day.  it was such a nice day so he thought why not see if you were up to it. 

From Eddie: headed to the beach with Chris for a bit. Wanna join us ? I know he misses his tia 

To Eddie: not really in a beach mood today 

Form Eddie: you don’t have to do anything, just hang out with us.

To Eddie: fine, I'll see you there. 

You weren't the only one Eddie texted. 

To Buck: headed to the beach with Chris for a bit. Wanna join us ? 

From Buck: kinda busy today man, maybe another time ? 

To Buck: sure you can’t squeeze it in ? I know he misses you 

From Buck: okay fine, I'll probably have to leave early tho 

This was the only way he could think of. He knew if he had told you both to just come over, it wouldn't end well. You would have seen Buck’s car or Buck would have seen yours but the beach was a big place, with a big parking lot so there was so way either of you would notice, right? The entire drive over, he kept thinking about how he hated seeing you like this. You were his sister and all he’s ever wanted was for you to be happy. Buck was his best friend, his partner- things weren't right if they weren't okay. If he was the only thing standing in the way of your two, then he would make it right. 

You arrived first, laying on the sand on top of a beach towel. The heat of the sun beating down on your skin until something blocked the sun. Opening your eyes, your brother stood in front of you with your nephew beside him. 

“You’re blocking my sun” 

“Nice to see you too sis” Eddie rolled his eyes, shutting the bag down beside you. 

“Hey buddy” you sat up, Chris sat beside you on the sand. “Hi” he gave you a big smile, the kind that warmed your heart. Eddie made himself comfortable on the other side of Chris, the two men turned their attention to the sand, Christoper deciding that he would build the most amazing sand castle known to man - his words of course. Half way through the sand castle, Eddie was tumbling through the bag for something. 

“What are you looking for ?” turning onto your side, you look up at him. 

“Forgot the sunblock in the car, I don’t want Chris to burn. I’ll be back, watch him ?” 

“Mhm of course” you hum, rolling back onto your back. One more glance at Christopher, he was happily building away, brushing away the sand from around the castle and adding towers. Your eyes shut and once again, the heat of the sun beating down against your skin. The warmth was comfortable, so much so that it was putting you to sleep, you just had to keep yourself awake long enough for Eddie to return from the car. Chris was humming a song, you couldn't quite place where you had heard it but you knew that you knew it. 

Suddenly, the warmth vanished. sitting up, you turned with the intention of asking your brother why he kept blocking the sun but when you turned, you were met with someone else- Buck. 

“What are you doing here ?” you ask him. 

“Eddie invited me.” he sits beside Chris, leaning over to give him a high five when Chris tells him about his plans for his sandcastle. 

Returning to your original position, your back sinking into the sand- all of the possible things that could have resulted in this situation ran through your head. 1. Eddie forgot that he invited both of you hence both of you being here. 

2. Eddie intentionally invited you both here.

3. Eddie’s just an idiot that didn’t care about how this would make either of you feel so he invited you both. 

All of which were very much possible. You can hear Eddie calling for Christoper as he makes his way back over to the 3 of you. A small smile on his face when he sees the 3 of you- you knew that look all too well, he was up to something. 

“Hey Buck” he smiles at his friend, sitting between the two of you. 

Propping your elbow up, you lean up and exchange glances with Buck- both of you equally confused as to why Eddie had both of you here. Eddie noticed the glances but Chris on the other hand, was happily rebuilding his castle as a wave had washed away a part of it. 

“Eds, what’s going on ?” asking him, your brows furrow

“What do you mean ?” his head tilts, a hint of amusement mixed with the confused look on his face. 

“She means, why are we both here when you were dead set on keeping us apart” Buck chimes in. 

Eddie hums, the conversation drops. Eddie takes a deep breath and lets it out as a sigh, looking at you before looking at Buck. “You know all I ever wanted was for you to be happy.” Eddie reaches for your hand, now holding it. “I know, I always say no one is good enough for you and I still think that- I always will because I see you as a literal angel, y/n. You have always been my perfect little sister who no one was ever good enough for- but I’ve been stupid. So incredibly stupid.” he sighs 

“What are you going on about ?” you ask, not that you minded but you were so confused as to what brought on the sudden outpour of love. 

“I hadn't ever seen you as happy as you were when you were with Buck. I know you told you to stay away from him but I shouldn't have- it wasn’t my place to do that. Sometimes I forgot that you’re an adult now and you’re capable of making your own choices” Eddie glances at Buck, thinking back to their conversation in the locker room. 

Eddie now turns to Buck, “if you make her happy and she makes you happy, who am I to stand between the two of you? you both now how much you mean to me and to Christoper” he looks towards Chris, “if you promise to treat her well and take care of her, then we’re good.” 

“I do” Buck smiles at Eddie, the joy evident on his face. So much for a subtle reaction. You weren't sure if you bought it- the whole ‘if you make each other happy’ shit that Eddie just said. 

“Do you mean that ?” your brother looked back towards you, he nodded. “Of course. Your happiness is all that matters y/n. I trust your judgment and I trust buck, I know he’d treat you well.” he gave your hand a small squeeze. You hummed, Buck gave you a smile. 

Getting up and brushing the sand from your legs, you walk toward Chris and crouch down beside him. Eddie and Buck watch, Chris laughs at something you say, a smile on both you and him. Chris gets up, his hand in yours as the two of you walk towards the edge of the water. You stood behind him, your arms looped around him to hold him. The two of you laughed as the water splashed against your legs. 

Some time rolled by and Chris was now tired. “How about we head home and we can watch a movie ?” he nods and you look back at Eddie, giving him a look. He comes over and picks Chris up, the little boy wrapping his arms around his dad. Buck picked up the stuff Eddie had brought and the 4 of you headed towards the cars. 

When you get home, Chris decides that he wants to watch Hotel Transylvania and obviously you agree. You’ve seen this movie a million and one times because your class loves this movie. You and Chris settle in on the couch, he cuddles into your side as your arm comes up and wraps around him. Eddie and Buck were in the kitchen trying to decide what to order for dinner. Before they could decide, you were calling for Eddie to come get Chris - lil man had fallen asleep on you not even 15 minutes into the movie. 

“He’d be more comfortable in bed” you tell your brother as he comes over to pick Chris up and carry him to bed. Once Eddie picks him up, you head to the kitchen. Buck leaning against the counter, a beer in one hand and the other hand on the counter. 

“Are you just not going to talk to me ?” he calls out, you were leant into the fridge, getting yourself a beer. “What do you want me to say ?” you ask, “you really believe all that shit ?” 

“What ? That he wants you to be happy ? Yeah, I do.” 

You scoff and shake your head. Buck might be Eddie’s best friend but you knew  him better than Buck did. Eddie said what you wanted to hear the most, he just wanted to see if you did what he wanted you to do. Buck’s hand grabs yours, pulling your body close to his. One of his arms was now wrapped around your waist, flipping you so now you were stuck between him and the counter. 

“Y/n, why can’t you just take what's in front of you as the answer ?” 

“Buck, I'm literally a teacher. It’s my job to look into the problem. Isn't that part of your job too ? 

“No- well yes, but that’s not the point right now. The simplest answer is often the right one and if Eddie thinks we'd be happy together and he gave us his blessing- which I know was important to you, then why can’t you just be happy?” 

Hands coming up and resting on his chest, you sigh. Buck smiles, it felt good to have you back in his arms- he never wanted to let go. 

“Y/n” he starts, 

“Don’t say it” warning him, you look up at the stupid grin on his face. 

“I love you” he says with a smile. 

“Damn it Buckley.” 

“What ?” 

“Now I have to say it back huh ?” you joke, Buck’s face twists into a look of shock and amusement. 

“Y/n!” he pinches your waist softly, you laugh.

“I love you too” 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought” Buck’s hands on your waist pull you closer- you didn’t even realize that was possible. Warmth blossoming in your chest as Buck leant closer, lips brushing against each other as if it was the first time all over again. The smell of your perfume was intoxicating and brought butterflies to his stomach- never did he think he’d have the chance to kiss you again. The moment his lips touched yours again, it felt like everything was right again, like you had spent no time apart and nothing would ever change the way you felt about each other. 

Because in the end, what’s made for you will always find its way back to you. 

----- 

taglist: @ssa-volturi @advicefromnixxxx @dralexreid @keenmarvellover  @beth-winchester21 @averyhotchner @fernandaweasley2 @yikesyikesyikes95 @hotchsdarling @venusrosepetal @luke-alvez @looney-literature @caitsymichelle13

[fairyoftbz]

it's never too late... | b. jacob

🏀 pairing: crush! basketball player! jacob x fem!reader 🏀 genre: high school!au, fluff, (sort of) strangers/acquaintances-to-lovers 🏀 word count: 5.2k 🏀 tw: very cliché 😳 and it goes kinda fast lmaoo 🏀 a/n: lisa I'm sorry I took this long to do your request, but I hope you'll like it nonetheless!! ALSO: to my fellow Americans, here football = soccer!! 🏀 requested: yes! thank you lisa!! @skrtbabe

╰☆☆☆☆╮

You had waited for this time since the beginning of your academic journey there. Graduating from high school was two months away, and it felt just as exciting as weird.

It felt like you had started your first year last week, but the amount of work and time spent in those dull buildings makes you feel like you’ve been there for at least five years.

It was exhausting to attend classes and see the same people every single day of the year, with repetitive subjects, annoying or cool teachers depending on your luck and everything that followed. The homework, the assignments, the small -or not so small- fights between classes or groups of people, you were praying that university wouldn’t sound like that.

However, at the same time, you were almost starting to feel nostalgic for this time. The last years where you could remain a bit silly before entering the adult world, being in your last teen years with people that you appreciated and met there. You chose to do this before letting them go and live your own lives, memories that will disappear if you don’t cherish them enough.

So, with Soyeon, your best friend, you decided to enjoy the time that you had left to do things together while still studying and revising for the exams, which was sometimes not easy to do. Yes, you shared classes, but personal and private activities sometimes came in the way and prevented you from hanging out.

“It’s life after all,” she said one night over the phone as you shared your opinion on this topic, “it’s good that we can be together almost 24/7, but sometimes, things don’t allow us to be together. It might be for the best, we never know,” she said, trying to be positive no matter the situation she was in, but you knew her well. As much as she wants to appear strong, you had found her many times crying on her own. But it was her personality, and no matter how hard you tried to change her, what's bred in the bone comes out in the flesh.

Soyeon wasn’t your only friend, you were getting along well with most of your girl classmates, as well as the boys that weren’t suffocating under the number of pick-me-girls that were populating your school and your class.

Sadly for you, you’ve been eyeing the most popular (and prettiest) boy in your whole school since you crossed gaze with him at the very beginning of your first year there. Jacob, your crush, was also the star basketball player of your school, and constantly surrounded and attracting cheerleaders or rich, random, good-looking girls, which had a knack for getting on your nerves. He was always spending time together with his pals and teammates, but other people as well. Everyone wanted to be his friend because you know, he had a promising career ahead of him, so it was always nice to be friends with a potential future celebrity.

As defeated as you were, there was still a small voice in your head telling you to do something before he left to go back to his home country, South Korea, where he had a career already planned and traced out.

You were confused as it was almost impossible for you to get a chance with him since you were not one of those girls and you simply couldn’t compete against them, but Soyeon and her boyfriend Sunwoo were always there to praise you and reassure you about your potential chances of dating him. Never convinced by your friends’ words, you had tried many times to get him out of your head and focus on someone else, but it never worked. Everything came back to him. He was unique and oh so nice, everything reminded you of him, and it was sickening at this point.

“He won't get out of my head, it’s getting on my nerves,” you shared your thoughts to your best friend as you braced your head in your hands, slapping your cheeks as if it were going to change anything and help you throw Jacob out of your brain.

“Why do I keep this stupid boy in my head when I know I don’t stand a single chance against those girls,” you slapped your cheeks harder and whined as Soyeon’s hand landed on your wrist.

“Y/N, stop your nonsense. You are perfect, you don’t need to change anything for him!”

“It’s easier said than done, you pulled the football star player!” you exclaimed, and she rolled her eyes, shifting closer to whisper.

“He pulled me because he knew that I am pretty, and that wouldn’t change a single thing for him. If he’s not happy with who I am, he can leave,” she shrugs, signalling you to do the same if you dated Jacob.

Sunwoo was also among the popular boys, but your friend remained the same, not even trying to fit in with the popular girls. She claimed that Sunwoo fell in love with her for her true self, so she didn’t see the point of changing to please other people. And you wished you had her confidence and her strength, admiring her for not changing anything about herself to please others.

Back to the present.

You felt stuck, desperately in love with an unapproachable boy who was too popular and way out of your league to be lucky to have his eyes sparing you any sort of attention. Even if he was a sweet young man, he was always surrounded by popular people, who were trying to hook up or use him for his school fame and sharp features.

One day, while studying with your best friend at the library, Sunwoo and one of his friends, Hyunjae, the football captain, burst into the library and come not so quietly to your table.

“For the love of God, can you both be quiet for once?” Soyeon whispered-yelled but her voice got toned down by Sunwoo vividly pressing his lips on hers, an arm wrapping around her shoulders. Hyunjae laughed but quickly gagged as they didn’t stop the kiss as quickly as the captain wished.

“Gosh, please, get a room,” he mumbled before hugging you, your knee resting against his as his arms pressed you against his chest.

Your friendship with Hyunjae felt more like siblings, he was genuinely nice and caring with you, making sure that you were okay and that you had enough of everything before allowing you to go home. Despite all the teasing and a few rumours going around school, you were not dating and didn’t have any romantic feelings for each other. He simply checked that you had an older brother figure since you were the first-born child, and it felt relieving.

The thing you did not know was that Jacob and a few of his basketball teammates, Juyeon, Eric and Younghoon, were a few tables away from yours, your back facing them, the future star looking at you and Hyunjae from the corner of his eyes. He nodded at his friend at your table, who gave him a wink as an answer, Jacob’s eyes burning holes into your back as Hyunjae was close to you. Too close to you for the basketball player not to feel something churn in his stomach.

Two long, manicured fingers snapped in front of his eyes to get him out of his reverie, lazily looking at the girl that sat across from him, who he was supposed to get help from.

“Jacob please, pay attention to meeeeee,” she whined and pouted, giving him puppy eyes that he couldn’t give a single fuck about, too busy in his mind to hear what she had to say.

She had volunteered to help him study History, but she wasn’t any better, probably worse than he was. It was already the third time Juyeon corrected her basic knowledge without being an expert himself, not even caring about the death glares she kept sending him. It only made him smirk as he knew it irked her dearly yet amused the rest of the table a lot.

They all sighed as she finally took the hint and left their table, Jacob bitterly chuckling as Hyunjae rolled his eyes when she walked past your table, his demeanour making you laugh.

╰☆╮

“Bro, do you think I should ask Y/N for help? Isn’t that a bit… lame?” Jacob sat on one of the soccer balls, hands joined and panting as Sunwoo practised his dribbling skills before shooting the ball in the cages, aiming for the up-right corner. He trotted to his friend and collapsed on the grass next to him, the last rays of sunshine offering his skin a wonderful, honey glow. He ruffled his hair after plopping down, checking his phone for any message before answering.

“If you need help, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask her. I mean, she’s super smart in every subject, but she’s just the boss in History. Her presentations are always golden, and she explains things a lot better than some of the teachers.”

“I got Smith as a teacher,” the basketball player grimaced, his left hand holding his right wrist as his gaze wandered in the grass.

“We’ve got Antal, and I can tell you that she’s always mad when Y/N does a presentation because they honestly just sound better than her lessons,” Sunwoo chuckled as Jacob pondered his friend’s words, the gears of his mind working at full speed.

How is he going to be able to approach you and get to talk to you?

╰☆╮

“Bestie, no. I swear I saw that in the other book,” you said as you found yourself back in the library the following week, bending over the table to grab the book your best friend was resting hers on. You started flipping some pages when a loud, masculine chortle followed by some whispers of annoyance drawing your attention.

“Hi, babe! Hi Hyunj- Oh hi Jacob!” your neck almost snapped as you abruptly lifted your head up at the mention of your crush’s name, a small, embarrassed smile making its way on your mouth. You were a bit sad that your brother best friend was not here with Sunwoo, but you weren’t going to complain to have your crush instead.

“Can I sit here?” the basketball player asked in a soft voice while pointing at the empty spot next to you, making you quickly nod and gather your stuff to make him some space.

You resumed searching for the precious paragraph you were searching for your project as if it were nothing, trying to ignore your stammering heart in your chest and the couple eating each other's mouths. The only thing you hoped was that Jacob couldn’t hear the loud, irregular beats in your ribcage because it would give in your attraction to him.

“Hum, Y/N?” the voice next to you made you flinch, surprised that he knew your name and that he said it aloud.

“Y-Yes?” you said, cursing in your head as you stuttered.

“I heard that you were the Ace when it came to History,” Jacob started, and you couldn’t look at him in the eyes, fire spreading in your chest up to your face.

“I can’t really say that I’m the Ace, but I really love that subject, so yeah I have some… knowledge,” words tripped over your tongue, and your best friend pulled away from Sunwoo and scoffed.

“Some knowledge? Are you kidding?” she said, Sunwoo placing a hand on her mouth as she was louder than intended. She removed his palm and furrowed her brows at him, before turning her head back at you with the same angry expression.

“She knows so fucking much that Antal hates her because she feels humiliated compared to Y/N. So let me tell you one thing, Cobbie, if you need help, you’ve come to the right person. Y/N is just a living encyclopaedia,” your best friend proudly smirked as you glowered at her, Sunwoo chuckling at his girlfriend’s behaviour before immediately stopping.

“Wait, did you call him Cobbie? How come you call him like that when I get nothing other than babe or baby?” Sunwoo argued while pouting, and your best friend sighed, ruffling his hair before pressing her lips against his one more time, making you slightly grimace as envy flooded your veins.

You sighed and dared to look at Jacob, who was reading the beginning of your essay written on your computer, leaving Sunwoo and your best friend bicker like the cute couple they were.

“Do you have this project too?” you asked, and he shook his head, eyes remaining glued on the computer screen.

“It’s so interesting what you wrote, I like your way of writing and explaining stuff,” he offered a small smile as he looked at you, clearing his throat. For someone that was super popular and constantly surrounded by friends or people at parties, he behaved and sounded quite like an introvert.

“W-Well, thank you,” you said with a smile and turned your head to the side for a second, taking a deep breath before looking back at him, opening a new tab on your computer after he gestured to you that he was done reading.

“What do you need help with?”

╰☆╮

You were astonished at how quick-minded Jacob was. Behind his fit, muscular appearance and obsession with basketball, he had the soul of a thinker and grasped the knowledge of historical concepts quite easily and rapidly. He just wasn’t good with the way Smith was teaching, the method not suiting him.

“You retain things well for someone who hates History,” you joked, and he shyly smiled, scratching his neck. His smile looked gorgeous, and you were pleasantly surprised at how much of a genuine person he was.

“Well, History is not my cup of tea, but it might be a bit more thanks to you,” he said, and you tried to stifle a smile, thankful that your best friend was no longer sitting across from you because she wouldn’t have let you two live.

“It’s nothing. You can come back to me if you need help, I really don’t mind. I actually like explaining things,” you said, and he nodded, clicking your pen close before placing it in your pouch.

“Thank you, really. Sunwoo was actually the one that told me about you, so I have to thank him as well,” you stood up and slowly started to pack your stuff, shutting down your computer with a smile.

“I’m glad he did so, I just hope it was positive,” you giggled, and he quickly joined you, twirling his pen in between his fingers as he cleared his throat.

“You know, it’s Sunwoo. It can only be nice and positive,” you genuinely smiled at him and fall in silence, throwing glances at each other from time to time as the conversation was slowly starting to die down.

“And... How’s basketball going by the way? Is everything going well?” you asked, and his heart skipped a beat at your question as it took him off guard.

“I-It’s going pretty well, I’m excited to finish high school to be able to focus on basketball. I’m gonna have to take some of my last finals in South Korea because the season and the training start pretty early in Summer so…” his voice trailed as his eyes widened, a hand slapping his mouth as you both stood up.

“What?” you quizzed, confused by his sudden change of behaviour.

“I… was meant to keep this a secret,” his voice trailed, the end of his sentence falling in a whisper as he started panicking. “Can we pretend you didn’t hear what I said?” he asked as you placed your bag strap on your shoulder, taking your sweater before pushing the chair against the table.

“Said what?” you replied with a smile, and Jacob sighed in relief, somehow feeling like his secret was safe with you, even if you’ve talked to him for the first time at the beginning of the afternoon.

╰☆╮

The rest of the month rolled off smoothly, yet the stress and the revisions became more intense as the days went by. You didn’t hear anything back from Jacob, but you’ve caught him staring at you a few times, offering him an awkward wave and a smile as not to get noticed by some of his “fan girls”, as they called themselves.

You still had a whole month left before finals, and you felt blessed as summer decided to start a bit earlier this year. It was only the beginning of May, but you were already able to wear shorts and dresses. It felt good to see the blue sky and being surrounded by the warmth of the sun hitting your exposed skin after the cold, lonely winter and spring you’ve just got out of. Everything looked prettier and warmer, and it did nothing but make you happier and brighter, despite the stress of the finals piling up on your shoulders.

So, to get rid of this pressure, you decided to leave town with Hyunjae and let him drive to one of the lakes that surrounded your town, knowing that the beach and parks would get crowded in no time. It was a place that you used to go to with your parents when you were still a child, memories that you shared with your friend coming back flooding in your mind.

Hyunjae and his family tagged along to give you some company and take care of you as your parents were busy looking after your newborn twin sisters, Hyunjae and his younger brother acting like elder siblings to you.

After driving for a few dozens of minutes, you settled your stuff in the shade, right under a weeping willow that offered you freshness throughout the entire day. Your best friend napped almost the entire time you were there, hand lingering on his abs while the other plucked out some grass until he dozed off, trying to store as many hours of rest as possible before finals. By his side was you, reading a book and enjoying the chilly water to cool down from the hot temperatures of early Summer, playfully nudging the young man next to you each time he was starting to snore.

It’s near the middle of the afternoon that you heard another car pulling up near the lake, a bunch of excited teenagers coming out of a van. You didn’t pay much attention to them, only sighing as your peace was about to get ruined, their screams when they jumped in the water woke your best friend up.

He abruptly sat up next to you and rubbed his eyes, some sleeping marks lingering on his face, making you giggle. Being the short-sighted idiot that he was, he squinted to try and recognise some people, but he didn’t have to.

A young woman screamed and started jumping up and down, waving her arms above her head in your direction, hearing her scream something towards you.

You looked at each other with Hyunjae, confusion painted on your faces, hearing your phone buzz in your small bag hidden by your folded clothes.

“Hello?” you said as Hyunjae’s phone started vibrating too, picking up the call as well.

“Y/N, it’s us! We’re on the opposite side of the lake! Come and join us!” you heard your best friend yell in your ear, hearing her as well through Hyunjae’s phone, who picked up a call from her boyfriend.

“Okay, we’re coming!” you excitingly said as you hung up, waving at your best friend from your spot as you started packing your stuff to get back in the car and meet up with your friends.

Your best friend excitingly jumped in your arms as soon as you got out of the car,

“Tt’s crazy how we’re so connected! Did you also think that the beach would be crowded?” she asked, and you nodded with a smile, happy to see her this joyful to see you.

The inseparable duo was here, as well as Younghoon, Jacob, Eric, Juyeon and Sangyeon, the striker of the football team. They all engulfed you in a tight hug, Jacob staying in the background the entire time.

“Hi Jacob!” you brightly said and wrapped your arms around his neck, hugging him close. “Hi Y/N,” his answer vibrated in his chest and had repercussions in yours, sending your heart flying in your ribcage.

You looked so good being this carefree, it was thankfully a sight that he managed to imprint in his mind despite the shortness of the moment. Being surrounded by all your friends felt so good that you forgot to be awkward and worry about the stupidest things, and Jacob adored seeing you this natural and smiling in the company of your friends. He was a bit sad that he wasn’t fully the reason for your smile though, but he still managed to enjoy the rest of the day with you and your mutual friends, whether you were on the ground or in the water.

Sangyeon, Younghoon and Juyeon copied Hyunjae and joined him in a restoring nap, while Eric, Sunwoo, Jacob, Soyeon and you played different games in the water, improvising a volleyball match with an imaginary net and the ball Sunwoo took with him as the volleyball, but it did the job. It was just a bit hurtful for the liberos since it wasn’t as soft and bouncy as a volleyball, but the joy of the moment allowed any type of pain to become bearable.

The evening eventually started to settle in, and you all got out of the water, drying yourselves before deciding to spend a part of the night here. You helped Sangyeon build a bonfire in the safe area by bringing some different branches, the eldest placing them correctly before lighting them with his pocket lighter.

“Hyung! I didn’t know you were a boy-scout,” Sunwoo exclaimed and made everyone laughed as you all were sliding some marshmallows on a stick, Sangyeon smiling with modesty at everyone.

“Ya, don’t say this,” Sangyeon mumbled, and you smile, rubbing his upper back as he sat down next to you, thanking him when you handed him over his marshmallow stick.

“Oh no! Mine burnt,” Soyeon pouted when she retrieved her snack from the flames, and her boyfriend was quick to give her his sweets, Eric cooing at the gesture of affection.

“Give it to me, I like them burnt,” he mumbled as he bit in the fluffy texture, immediately regretting it as it was boiling. His girlfriend handed him water as he stood up, bouncing up and down to try and reduce what felt like flames in his mouth.

“Oh my, thanks babe,” he muttered with his mouth stuffed when he gulped down everything with a pained expression on his face. Eric’s eyes filled with boredom locked into yours and you both chuckled, your friend shaking his head.

“When is it gonna be my turn,” he huffed and Sunwoo hit him playfully in the back as you all laughed around the bonfire, relating to your friend.

“When you’ll stop being obsessed with football and mango juice,” Eric grunted and folded his arms over his chest as Sangyeon called him out, making you coo and playfully run to him, holding him against you as he fake-cried on your chest while everyone was laughing at him.

Except for Jacob, who only offered a weak smile, but you didn’t catch it, too busy having fun and being light-hearted with your friends.

After your stomachs were filled with sweets and soda, Sunwoo pulled out his guitar and strummed a soft melody until some became heavy-eyed or fell asleep against the other, his girlfriend succumbing to his musical talents first. Jacob looked exhausted as well but forced his eyes open, finding him even hotter with hooded eyelids and his hair slightly curling with the humidity of the air and the lake water.

When it was time to go home, Hyunjae, as well as Younghoon, Sunwoo, Soyeon and Eric decided to jump into Hyunjae’s car to go to the beach, feeling the urge and the thrill of going skinny-dipping. On the other hand, you and the rest of the boys were too exhausted and modest to do this, only wanting to go home and get some good rest.

Just like they had arrived, Sangyeon was behind the wheel while the rest was either next to him or in the back seat. And you didn’t know how it happened, but you got stuck between the window and Jacob, who was struggling to keep his eyes open.

“You good?” you asked, and he turned his head towards you before offering you a tired yet sweet smile, moving his head up and down.

“I'm just exhausted, tonight was simply amazing,” he mumbled, and you expressed your agreement by a happy hum and a nod, bringing your attention to your eldest friend.

“Are you sure you’re awake enough to drive?” you enquired on the current situation and Sangyeon looks at you through the inner rear-view mirror, eyes forming two crescent moons as he smiled.

“I just jumped in the water, I’m nothing but awake,” he clapped in his hands to motivate himself and started the engine, your best friend’s car already gone.

Jacob rested his head against the headrest and closed his eyes, his head rolling to the side each time Sangyeon took a turn. You settled yourself on the window and let the vibrations of the car lull you to sleep, the small talk that Sangyeon and Juyeon were having in the front seats acted like a background noise, which helped you dozing off.

However, when the car pulled up in front of your house, they didn’t expect you to have your head resting against Jacob’s shoulder, his hand on your knee. The two men smiled at each other before Sangyeon got out of the vehicle, drawing the door open. As he was about to carry you to your doorstep, Jacob’s arm was quick to wrap itself around your waist, keeping you close to him.

You woke up confused, blinking a few times as you saw the striker standing next to you with a wide smile on his face. He removed a limb around your body, and you felt someone groan under your right shoulder, noticing in dread that you snuggled up to Jacob for some warmth in your sleep.

“You gotta go before the beast wakes up,” Sangyeon joked and winked as he helped you get out of the car, closing the door behind you. It opened again a few seconds later, Jacob looking just as confused as you were.

“Come on, lovebirds, we don’t have the night.”

“Lovebirds?” Jacob and you asked in unison, the basketball player rubbing his eye with the back of his hand. He jumped out of the van and gestured to Sangyeon to get back in.

“You can go, I live just around the corner,” he drowsily said as he vaguely gestured behind him.

“You sure? Your house is on my way back home, I can drop you off,” Sangyeon suggested but he refused, offering a handshake to the striker before letting him go.

Being more awake now, you waved at your friends driving away before turning to your crush, who looked even more adorable as he was super sleepy and just woke up.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay? You look really tired,” you asked, voice still laced with sleep yet sounding caring, which made Jacob’s heartbeat fasten. He nodded and weakly smiled, taking a step closer to you. His attitude was a bolt from the blue as he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you to him, nuzzling his face in your neck.

“You felt so warm during the ride, it’s almost like I could get used to this,” he tiredly said with a smile, gently pulling away to stare at you, his fingers leaving your back to come and slide a wild piece of hair behind your ear. Your whole body stiffened at his words as he stared at you in the eyes, noticing a small, washed-out smirk plastered on his face.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit... late to start something with someone? I mean, we have finals and then y-you’re le-leaving for South Korea and-” you started stammering as his thumb gently stroked your cheek, loving watching you lose your composure at his display of affection.

“It’s never too late when you love someone,” he whispered, feeling his warm breath tickling your lips in such a delicious manner that you have to resist the urge to move forward and press your lips against his.

His words punched the air out of your lungs, leaving you breathless as he kissed your cheek, mouth slowly moving to the side until it reached your lips. The kiss was soft yet a bit on the rougher side as if he wanted you to understand every feeling he had for you. Instinctively, your arms wrapped around his shoulders, and you kissed him harder, deeper, his hands on your lower back pulling you flush against him.

You had dreamt, wondered about what it was like kissing Jacob, but it never felt as good as you were experiencing it now. Fireworks and butterflies were erupting in your stomach, leaving you dizzy with love and passion as one of his hands came and cupped your cheek, the pad of his thumb gently caressing the skin.

Once you pulled away for oxygen, you held onto his shoulders for your dear life and he chuckled, his mouth slowly travelling down to your neck.

“I-I think my… my- oh my god, my parents will worry,” you gently pushed him away and he stared at you with a smile before diving in to capture your lips in another soft kiss.

“I'm only letting you go if you're free tomorrow. Let's put that off to tomorrow, shall we?” he asked, and your eyes widened at his suggestion.

“We can go back to the lake if you want, but only if we’re alone,” he said, his hand caressing your cheek while the other was busy stroking your upper back up and down.

“I want to enjoy this with you and you only,” he added, mumbling against your mouth and this time, you’re the one pulling him for a kiss.

“Come and pick me up at 10, then,” you said as you pulled away.

“I’ll be there, I promise,” he answered and started walking towards your house, closing the front gate behind you, waving at him with a smile.

He sent you a flying kiss with a smile and you waved at him one last time before closing the main door of your house behind you, both sighing with a huge smile and warmth painted on your faces.

You peeled the clothes off your skin and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower, shaking your head left to right while chuckling as you recalled what just happened in your last month of high school.

Nothing was making sense, you didn’t know how you got there, but you were happy.

And that’s what mattered the most.

[ca-8]

Yakko x Reader Scenario: When You First Meet

'This is it. The beginning of the end.' 

Gripping on the straps of her backpack, (Y/n) exited the bus and stared up at the water tower that displayed the famous Warner Bros. logo. As expected, it emitted a smug aura onto the entire area; however, surprisingly, there was a slight twinge of mystery to it as well. But she didn't have time to ponder about it, so she only gave it an uneasy look and headed straight for the entrance.

Her heart stopped. She knew the place was going to be busy, but it was like an entire New York City packed in one section! So many writers, producers, actors, large men carrying heavy sets, every type of person working in film was scattered all over the place. It was like an ocean, with the people as marine life doing what they're designed to do, and (Y/n) being the puppy that was abandoned at sea.

The moment it all settled in, an involuntary realization invaded her thoughts. 'I don't belong here.'

The young girl reminded herself to breathe and rushed over to a vacant wall, then pulled out her phone. She had already sent her mother about a thousand messages telling her she was here, but since she hasn't responded, a few more shouldn't hurt. Fingers rapidly typing away, she bit her lower lip, already wishing she had stayed on that bus. 

"Oh, you're just gonna love it!" Her mother's squealing voice had already filled her skull. "You're so talented, I know you're gonna fit right in."

'Yeah, standing around all day with a bunch of people I don't know while doing something I suck at is exactly how I wanna spend my summer.' She let out a soft sigh. 'It's fine. Just shut up and make her happy, (Y/n).'

Several attempts of calling and texting later, no response. (Y/n) sighed again, and her eyes wandered over to the bustling crowd. 'No way. Absolutely no way.' But if she wanted to get the day over with, absolutely yes way.

First, she walked up to a lady looking down at the clipboard in her hands. "Um, excuse me," (Y/n) said. 

The lady's head snatched up. "KYLE!" she yelled, her eyes now ablaze with fury, "YOU IDIOT! THAT GOES IN THE WAREHOUSE ACROSS THE STUDIO!" And like there was nothing but a breeze behind her, the lady stomped off to the poor soul that had to face her wrath.

The breeze took a step back and ran around the corner. 'Maybe I'll find someone else instead…!' (Y/n) stopped and spotted a man sitting on the steps that lead to the entrance of a small building. She swallowed whatever was left in her mouth and reluctantly approached him. 

"E-Excuse me, sir?" she stuttered, hoping her voice was louder than the last time. As she got closer, (Y/n) noticed he was chuckling, and his gaze was glued onto a small piece of paper. 

"I...I did it…!" he said. She yelped and shrinked back when he suddenly jumped to his feet. "I FINALLY DID IT! WE'LL SEE WHO'S REGRETTING THE DIVORCE NOW, MARGARET!" And with a manic laugh, the man dashed into the building. 

'...Or maybe I'll just find it myself.'

It wasn't too long before (Y/n) got herself lost. Despite the help of maps that were stuck to some of the buildings, all of them seemed exactly the same. It was like a maze, and with each passing minute, she was more and more convinced that there was no finish line. Even worse, her mother was too busy to respond to anything she sent her. 

'Oh, what should I do?' (Y/n) thought for the thousandth time. No matter how hard she pinched or held them, her arms refused to stop trembling. Not too long ago, the outside of the studio became deserted and she'd hate to walk in a warehouse and possibly interrupt something important, so asking for help again was out of the question.

...Or, perhaps it wasn't. 

A tiny, hopeful smile crossed (Y/n)'s face when she heard the sounds of frustrated grunts around the corner. It was the first time she was so relieved to see a stranger. 

And thank god that stranger was a security guard. Though she wondered why he had a giant net in his hand, she shoved the curiosity as far in the back of her mind as she could and reached up to gently tap his shoulder. 

"Um, excuse me sir?" she asked as loud as she could. 

His head whipped around, revealing angry eyes and a scowl that said he was ready to kill. But right as his gaze landed on her, it changed within an instant. 

"Oh, hello!" he said with a bright smile. 

(Y/n) blinked, cocking her head. ‘What was this guy up to?’

"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you know where (M/n) (L/n) is filming? I'm her daughter, (Y/n), and I'm trying to look for her. She's not answering her phone either."

His joyful expression slowly melted into a confused one. "Uuhhh…(M/n) (L/n)?”

“Yes. She’s a part of Animal Kingdom? Do you know where that’s being filmed?”

“Oh! I know there’s a zoo around here called Animal Kingdom! I don’t think you’ll find it in a film studio, though.”

(Y/n) frowned. “...No, I mean the show. Aren’t they filming in a warehouse today? Do you know where that is?”

“Who’s ‘they’?”

Her eye twitched, and she was just about ready to drown the entire studio in the nearest ocean. “N-Nevermind, I’ll just-”

As if the universe wasn’t satisfied with tormenting her enough, the security guard suddenly launched up into the air and flew into the sky. Right before her eyes, the heavens were coated with explosives of every color that ever existed. 

“Oh my god!” (Y/n) yelled. ‘Who strapped fireworks on that guy?!’

“Oh, I knew you’d love it!”

Her eyes were ripped from the loud fireworks show as she was immediately smothered in a hug. “It’s so nice that another girl’s here! All the other ones here are either too busy or just keep shouting about a restraining order for some reason. I dunno, but anyway, I just know you're gonna love it here! Anyway, my name’s Princess Angelina Louisa Cantessa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the third! But since we're friends now, you can just call me Dot.”

This confirmed it. This was a trap set up by her mother to deliberately drive her insane, because how else can someone explain the nut jobs and talking dogs in pink dresses? 

A combination of those two things happened to be clutching her head and digging her face into hers. “...Huh?” (Y/n) mumbled.

‘Dot’ jumped off of her and smiled widely. “Sorry about Ralph by the way. I figured out you were coming at the last second and I really needed someone for your welcoming gift.” she said.

(Y/n) glanced up at the sky where the fireworks were slowly dying down. “Um...Is he gonna be okay?” she asked.  

“Of course he will!” her backpack said.

The teen screamed and threw her bag on the ground. A hand popped out and unzipped it with impossible ease, then a taller boy version of Dot jumped out, pulling up his long brown pants and flashing a grin. 

“H-...H-H-How did you…?!” (Y/n) stuttered, pointing at him. 

“What? Never heard of cartoon logic?” he said, approaching her. “And Ralph’ll be fine. His skull’s so thick, concrete’s the last thing that can kill him.”

“What-?”

“Anyhow,” he walked over to Dot and put an arm over her shoulder, “The name’s Yakko, this here’s my beloved baby sister Dot, and this is-” He stopped, staring at the empty space to his left. He leaned into Dot, whispering, “Say, uh, you don't mind looking for Wakko, do ya sis?”

Dot glanced at (Y/n) for an uncomfortable moment and suddenly shot her brother a glare. "I've got eyes all over this studio, Yakko," she warned, slowly stepping away.

Now (Y/n) certainly knew she didn't see pairs of eyes appear around every inch of her sight. 'Oh god, I didn't breath in drugs on the way here, did I? Actually, that would explain whatever the heck's going on.'

Yakko smiled as he watched his sister leave and turned to (Y/n). He walked closer to her, and she realized that his half-lidded eyes had a strange glint in them. “Sooo, your name’s (Y/n), right? A pretty name for a pretty girl.”

(Y/n)’s face heated up. ‘First I get lost, then see a guy get blown up, and now some other guy’s flirting with me? ...To be honest, this is still better than what Mom had planned for today.’

“So what brings ya’ here?” he asked.

“O-Oh, well, my Mom was supposed to give me a tour of the studio, but I’ve been giving that to myself all day. I tried finding her, but I’m pretty sure I’m nowhere near it by now.” Her eyes wandered over to the ground, but a realization made them perk back up and over to Yakko. “Hey, do you happen to know this place by any chance?”

“Know it? Please, my sibs and I live here, we know this place by heart and soul!” He mumbled something else, along the lines of “Basically made our hearts and souls”. 

Her heart jumped; finally, a piece of good news. “Really?” she said, a smile spreading across her face.

He nodded. “So where do ya’ need to go?” Before she could answer, he pulled out a piece of folded paper and moved in so close, their shoulders were smooshed together. Yakko unfolded it, and it turned out to be the biggest map (Y/n) has ever seen. “Well, from here, you’re gonna need to take a right and continue straight until you get to the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts exhibit. But be careful, I heard some of them escaped, and if anyone asks if you’ve seen any of them, don’t tell them I gave one to Dot as a late birthday gift. Anyway, you take a left from there, then a right where you’ll see the lot where they used to shoot Game of Thrones. Now this is only a rumour I’ve heard, but I think some of the producers are still on that set. If you happen to see them, do not, I repeat, DO NOT mention season eight, or maybe just don’t mention the show at all. Actually, don’t even look at them. As a matter of fact, you probably shouldn’t even go there at all, just keep heading straight until you get to the D.C. Universe lot. Then you just take left there, then a sharp right over over, then you keep going straight until you get to here, turn up over there, turn right there, and then you’re there. Did ya’ follow all that?”

(Y/n) stared at his face, which was practically radiating with enthusiasm, and she felt her eye twitch again. “...No,” she said, shaking her head.

His smile dimmed, but it became just as bright as the sun again a split-second later. “Ah well, maps are gettin' old anyways,” he said, throwing the map over his shoulder. “WAKKO!!”

And, low and behold, another anthropomorphic dog popped out of nowhere, and (Y/n) was starting to question if there was an army of them hidden somewhere. But she had to admit, it was pretty cute how this one was dressed in an oversized blue sweater and red hat. 

“Tablet, please,” Yakko said politely, holding out his hand. 

‘You're not gonna walk me there-?'

Wakko suddenly held his head back with his cheeks puffed out, then leaned into Yakko’s hand as he forced out a small object from his mouth. After an incredibly uneasy moment, a tablet glazed in spit was in Yakko's grasp. While he praised the little guy, (Y/n) forced back the urge to vomit.

“E-Ehhhh…?” She couldn’t say anything else while her gaze frantically went back and forth from Wakko and the regurgitated tablet. 

“Oh! Where are my manners?” Yakko said. “(Y/n), this is my dear little brother, Wakko. Wakko, this here’s our new special friend, (Y/n).” 

“Hello!” Wakko greeted, who was suddenly in her arms. “You’re really pretty!”

“Ehh? Thank you? I guess??” she said apprehensively, and finally managed to make eye contact. Despite his...quirks, he's actually a little adorable... She let herself grin a little.

The moment of semi-peace was ruined when she took notice of Yakko’s narrowed eyes. “ALrighty, (Y/n)!” he said loudly, grabbing his little brother by the collar and gently setting him on the ground. “Animal Kingdom, right? Let’s get ya’ right over there.” He moved right beside her and taped the screen a couple times. 

“Um, what’re you doing exactly?” she asked.

“Doing what every person does to get somewhere nowadays.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her against him, and (Y/n) flinched from his touch. “Please keep your arms, legs, and personal items inside the tablet at all times.”

Just when she was about to question him for the hundredth time, he pressed the screen again, and her vision became nothing but white. Her body felt like it was launched into a tornado; a strong force of wind thrusted her back, and somehow, the boy’s arm kept her from flying off from his side. A second later, her feet were back on the ground, the sky was where it needed to be, and reality was back in place. 

Except for (Y/n)’s mentality. 

She stumbled around, trying to find her balance as the world unbearably whirled around her. Finally, she shook her head, and quickly turned back towards Yakko, whose face tried to tell her whatever happened was perfectly fine and normal. 

“What was THAT?” she yelled, staggering towards him and gripping his shoulders.

And he still had the audacity to have that 'why-are-you-freaking-out-so-much-we-do-this-every-Friday' smile. “Thank you for attending Warner’s Travel Tours! I would say my Agent Ralph’ll take your bags, but I left him alone with my sibs, so he’s probably in the middle of the Pacific Ocean by now.”

(Y/n) could only stare at him. Her mind was twisting and turning, trying so hard to make any sense of what happened but only making her headache grow larger and larger. And then, her thoughts just went blank.

She smirked. Then giggled. And a few seconds later, she had burst out laughing whilst holding her stomach. (Y/n) looked back up at Yakko, wiping a tear from her eye. “Th-Thank you…” she said, catching her breath. 

His smile had grown and she thought his white cheeks were red for a moment. Yakko had opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a net suddenly covering his entire body. Ralph was behind him, his skin and clothes burnt and ears practically smoking. “You’re coming with me, Warner!” he said.

And yet, Yakko only grinned. Like physics was his enemy, he disappeared from inside the net and appeared sprouting from the security guard’s back, cheerfully waving at (Y/n). “I’ll see ya’ around, yeah?” he said, then ran around the corner with Ralph sprinting right after him.

(Y/n) giggled and reached for the straps around her back. But when she only felt the (f/c) fabric of her shirt, her smile dropped, and a deep sigh escaped her lips. “Great…” she whispered.

“(Y/N)!” 

She gasped as a pair of arms squeezed the life out of her. Her mother spun her around to face her gleaming smile, which was immediately replaced by an apologetic frown. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get your texts! That scene took forever, but I’m glad you found your way here! You’re so smart! Anyway, I know we don’t get as much time now, but there’s still so much we’ll be able to see!...”

She rambled on and on and on and on. Her daughter’s shoulders slumped and she followed her to where she wanted her to go, but the frown on her face didn’t last long when she remembered the fun she had just a few seconds ago. ‘Maybe this summer won’t be that bad.’

[umiarumi]

fucking three houses | prologue/claude von riegan

afab she/her reader, originally posted on my ao3, myukyu <3

Twirling my sword, an excited grin fell upon my face as I jogged alongside Dorte and Marianne. "Hah! Marie, ya think I can keep up your old steed's pace?" I asked excitedly, huffing slightly. The academy had really buffed your stamina, shit, enough to keep up with a damn horse.

"Oh, (Y/N)! I-um, don't strain yourself since we have nearly reached the monastery." She hesitantly called out, brow furrowing. I laughed it off, nodding as I slowed my pace to meet Raphael jogging, carrying a very unamused Lysithea.

"What's up, you two?" I asked, grinning. The behemoth of a man beamed back, motioning his head to the pouting smaller girl in his arms.

"Lysithea here was starting to struggle, so as a good big bro- I mean, uh, friend! As a good friend, I'm helping keep up!" He cheered, laughing.

"I'll remind you, you thoughtless fool, I am not a child! I am quite the opposite, now." Lysithea barked out at Raphael, folding her arms.

I chuckled, shaking my head. I missed these guys, and once we make it to the monastery... well, teach better have kept his promise and not died on us. ~~~~ ~~~~ PROLOGUE END ~~~~ ~~~~ "Ahh... now this one is gonna fill the spot, thanks, prof!" You cheered, excitedly flicking your eyes between your delicious meal of Beast Meat and your slightly concerned professor.

"That smell... it's amazing! My fav, in fact. Do you like it too?" Claude nodded with you, looking to Byleth out of curiousity. Easygoing, huh?

"I like it."

Usually, you'd laugh at your teacher's blunt speech, yet that meat was begging you to devour it and hey- who are you to deny its wishes? Being back at the monastery with your class and teacher as much as you'd loved being back in your home country, you had a soft spot for the Golden Deer. But five years had changed the lot of you, various glowups being noticed, by the way. Yet, Claude caught your attention the most. Which, being honest, wasn't out of the norm, hell, for anyone!

As you tore through your meat, you caught your former classmate stifling a chuckle at your pure ferocity.

"Oi! Got thomething to thay," You quickly swallowed. "What's so funny!?" You annoyedly accused, slamming a hand on the table. He let out a laugh, shaking his head.

"Easy tiger! You just looked awfully cute with your cheeks stuffed."

You felt your cheeks darken, clicking your tongue as you went back to your meal. "Smooth, dickhead..." You mumbled as your teacher let out a sigh at the two of youse antics. As you all continue to eat, a comfortable silence fell upon your trio.

"That aside, I am glad to see you also returning. I heard from Lorenz that you had disappeared for a while." Your teacher finally spoke, looking to you. Your eyebrows rose in surprise as you let a crooked grin creep up your face.

"Funny you say that. How about yourself, five years asleep! Did any lucky gal or guy come to give you that awakening kiss~" You cooed, switching the topic onto him. You had no idea what you could say without getting yourself and Claude in an unknown amount of trouble.

He raised a brow at your dodging of the question but ultimately let it go. "I did not get kissed, no."

Claude piped up from his suspicious silence, leaning in to pester teach. "Ya sure? You were pretty popular back at the academy!" You snickered after this comment, nodding to egg him on.

"I believe we've finished the meal. I shall see the two of you later." He promptly stood up with his plate and cutlery, returning them to the kitchen before strutting off in his usual stern demeanour.

"Aw, we scared him off!" You jokingly whined, leaning onto Claude. Teasing your no-nonsense teacher was great since he's as clueless as Seteth with three times the patience.

"How will we ever apologise?" Claude moaned alongside you, resting his head on yours melodramatically. You tittered together before recovering and bringing your dirty dishes to the kitchen. Leaving the dining hall, you two walked in silence.

You walked with no aim for a while until Claude stopped. You turned to him, intrigued. Tilting your head, you asked him a question.

"Something up?"

He smiled softly, shaking his head.

"Nah, but I would like to ask you some things." He said, and the lack of a comedic tone set off a minor alarm in your brain. You were no stranger to his inquisitive nature, having known him for a good portion of your life. Yet, you had a feeling this related to before. Even Claude wasn't aware of your whereabouts.

"Sure thing, here?" You asked, folding your arms defensively.

"No... let's go somewhere more private." He said, walking off. You jumped, quickly following him.

~~~~

Following Claude up the spiralling stairs of the Goddess tower was quick, that you could confirm. Nearly stumbling over your steps as he transcended so damn fast, you couldn't even call out for him to slow the hell down.

As you finally made it to the top, avoiding the rubble which had gathered after the battle at the monastery, you had leant against the wall, quickly regaining your breath. Yet as soon as you blinked, Claude seemed to have moved from the centre of the room to a few inches away from your face.

"C-Claude! What the hell...?" You jumped, backing fully up against the cold, stone wall. Feeling the cool stones against your back, you shivered as your former leader stared at you.

"Answer teach's question for me, friend? Where were you while we were stopping the whole damn alliance from being chipped away by the Empire?" He asked, frustrated. He took a step towards you.

You gulped, shaking your head as your eyes darted around the tower, looking everywhere but him.

"That's not the answer I was looking for, (Y/N)."

Your breath hitched as he grabbed your chin to look you in the eyes. His voice lowered, a conflicted emotion on his face. A crooked grin tugged at his lips and yet his brows were furrowed, annoyed.

||Translation: فاک - Fuck||

"I-I was in Almyra!" You yelped, quickly realising what you said as you cursed under your breath, "فاک..." You hissed, embarrassed.

"First, you avoid our questions..." Claude listed, cruelly running his thumb across your lip. Your heart skipped a beat, your eyes finally set on his figure.

"Second, you leave us... breaking our promise," He continued, striking your heart where it hurts.

You bit your lip, eyeing him as he let his hand drop to your shoulder. He pushed you further against the wall. You shivered, yet not from the freezing stone this time.

"I-I... even you said you had no attachment to Fodlan! I thought you wouldn't..." You trailed off, searching for an excuse.

"Everyone thought you died! I thought you died! And yet..." His voice rose, yet less out of anger. He finally brought his face to your extremely red own.

"Where was I? Oh yeah, finally..." You stiffened, knowing what he was going to bring up.

"Leaving me hanging."

Before you all reunited, you had made a short trip into Fodlan to grasp the situation. Yet, your undercover mission soon became an open one as a fateful night in Derdriu occurred.

~~~~

It was a warm evening the night you had made it into the lively streets of the city. Even after the effects of war, the city still seemed to bustle. Unassumedly passing by citizens happily talking, you looked for any Knights of Seiros stationed nearby or even members of the Leicester military. Noticing a particular armoured woman, you tapped her shoulder.

She turned, giving you a pleasant smile. "Do you need anything, ma'am?"

You nodded, playing with the sides of your bodice. "I live a while from the military posts, so could you please tell me... um, how is the war going?" Embarrassed, she laughed softly before explaining.

However, you were unaware of a keen eye watching you. The familiar bobbing of unruly hair, gleaning of sun-kissed skin tied in with a confident stance clued Claude onto just who it was he saw. He waited patiently behind market stalls, keeping an eye on you as you bid the woman goodbye. And oh-so luckily for him, you headed his way.

You passed by him, oblivious to the archer's presence. A sudden hand on your shoulder caused you to jolt, your hand reaching to the hilt of your sword. Whipping around, your eyes soon met the green ones of a certain Alliance leader.

"C-Claude!?" You shrieked, hand still cautiously resting on your sword, unsure if he would take well to your sudden appearance.

"So you decided to show up, huh?" He remarked, and if you knew him any less you'd think that easygoing smile meant he was happy. But that smile never reached his eyes.

Yet, despite his obvious inner conflict, you expelled a breath as he pulled you into a hug. You soon wrapped your arms around him. It had been four years since you left after Edelgard and her forces attacked. You felt his grip loosen as he rose a hand to your chin, that oh-so teasing thumb brushing against your lip.

"May I?" He muttered, and in response, you leant into him, lips locking. What started innocently quickly grew messy and needy, your lips growing red.

As you pulled back, you felt the hard pressure as your fronts brushed together. You blushed before turning your head away.

"I'm sorry Claude, I have to go." You muttered solemnly, pulling yourself together.

"Wait, what? Showing up randomly after four years and then blue-balling me?" He teased yet yearningly reached out his hand.

"I promise, I will return and finish what I started!" You called out, running off into the night.

~~~~

Your face grew hot at the memory. Shuffling nervously, you looked into his eyes.

"Then, will you finish what we started, miss?" He asked, running a hand across your face.

Inhaling, you nodded and answered him. "Yes... please."

With your consent, he pushed himself against you, lips squishing as he brought you upon his own. He soon ran his tongue along your bottom lip, asking for permission.

You parted them quickly, his tongue invading your mouth as your tongue danced with his. He began to unclasp your armour as you shifted to help them come off easier.

Before you knew it, you had both shed to your undergarments, all knowledge of this being an open area quickly leaving your mind.

His hands reached behind your back to fiddle with your bra for a few moments, soon letting it fall to the cold, stone ground. His eyes fell to your breasts, your nipples perk from a mix of the cold air in the Goddess Tower and the heat of the situation.

Quickly, his hands began to fondle and grope your tits, your hand slapping on your mouth as to not alert any patrolling guards.

"These really are great. Your armour disguises you, a good thing that is since you'd probably take a few hits otherwise." He commented cheekily, observing your tightly shut eyes and fluttering breaths.

God, he'd tease you even now!?

One of the hands dropped from your breast, the other continuing to squeeze and roll it like wet clay. The forgotten breast soon regained heat as the scruffy head of the brunette quickly moved to suckle on your aching nipple, causing you to let out a quick yelp.

"How cute." He mumbled into your tit, the vibrations sending a delicious shiver up your spine. Whilst you were focused on the pleasure at your chest, your throbbing cunt soon found a welcoming hand cupping it through your underwear.

"Soaked! Were you wanting this all along? Hah! Pretty slutty for an Almyran warrior." He cooed, fingers running against your clothed slit.

"A-ah... fuck you!" You hissed, deciding on paying back the offer. Your free hand reached down to cup his hidden boner, hand rubbing slowly.

"Ffffuck... fine, you want to do it right here, against this wall sweetheart?" He asked, grinning.

You nodded brashly, slipping out of your drenched underwear. He too shed his remaining clothes and your lips locked in a short kiss before he pulled away.

Grabbing onto your thighs, he lifted you as you hooked your legs around him. Pushing you against the wall, he angled his dick at your pussy. Rubbing slowly, teasingly. The two of you groaned, as finally, he stuck his dick in your needy cunt.

You gasped, feeling it stretch you out, slowly, inch by inch. Bottoming out, the two of you stilled for a moment, catching your breaths. Once you adjusted, signalling him with a nod, he pulled out to the tip, before slamming back in. You moaned unabashedly, eyes fluttering open to see Claude's face scrunch up.

He looked up to you coyly, smirking. "Do you want all of the monastery to find us? Would you like them to see you like this?" Your breath hitched.

"Sweating, being fucked against a wall by your former leader? After five long years, you decide to help." He hissed, continuing to thrust as you gasped with each thrust.

The fulfilling feeling of Claude's dick rubbing against your inner walls gradually inched you to your orgasm, the added brushing of fronts stimulating your clit.

"I could get used to this, you'll really help the war efforts this way. Those poor, exhausted knights who you could've helped. A nice cocksleeve like you, you'll do more by getting fucked than you have the past years." He grunted, venting his frustrations.

Yet, despite all the guilt you should've felt, it only made the aching buzz of your clit all the more stronger.

Your cunt spasmed with each thrust, the routine rubbing and brushing working you towards your end as you felt Claude's dick shudder every time he bottomed out.

"Maybe you could motivate Ignatz? He'd be shy though, but a girl so open like you would be perfect for that." He mumbled, watching your face darken.

"Or Raphael? He could use you as training. You'd be spent by the time he was even finishing, yet a slut like you would be okay with that, right?"

His dick continued to twitch in your pussy, your walls clamping around his cock like a vice. Fluttering as you were so close to your end.

"Shit... even Lorenz... he could use you as practice for his- ngh, noble duties!" He choked out a laugh, breath stuttering.

"But I think I like you best as my little runaway slut, yeah? You fit so well on my cock!" He emphasised the last word with a sharp thrust, your walls clamping shut on his cock, your head hitting the wall as you moaned in ecstasy.

He quickly pulled out, dick spurting ropes of cum on your chest and stomach. As you both caught your breath, you caught Claude smiling at you.

"It's good to have you back, my friend."

[ryozoro]

Hades Playlist - i.

NOW PLAYING : I n t e r l u d e [J. Cole]

cw; name calling, blood, mentions of murder, major spoilers

“Fate is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast.”

Despite the red-light district thriving through the night, it looked just as beautiful during the early morning. Yn was roaming the streets on her pedal bike for the first time since winter break as she plotted different ways to surprise her big brother at his newly opened bike shop. She had already purchased his favorite breakfast meal from the little café she worked at, and all that she was left to do was see the said man. Getting out of thoughts and returning to reality, she stopped at the side of the traffic light to press the ‘crossing’ button and to text Draken to make sure he was at work before she made the trip.

“hey there pretty girl, ya wanna come ride something more interesting than the little kiddie bike yer on right now?” some bleach blonde junior high kid called out to her, smirking as he man spread and took up most of the space on the park bench. “I know ya hear me pretty girl,” he leaned and rested his elbows onto his knees, “maybe ya want me to come over and beg for yer attention, huh? Want me to come and make ya listen to me?”

She scoffed and waited for the light to signal for her to cross, but its as if the gods wanted to punish her and traffic kept flowing out of her favor. Getting restless, she pocketed her phone and tapped on her bar handles in hopes of the cars to all be generous and let her through; of course, this did not happen and the young fuck boy in training had began to approach her alongside his friend who were hyping him up and recording the event.

“You might be older than me,” he walked up behind her and kicked her bike tire before circling around and leaning against the basket in the front, “but that doesn’t change the fact that I hit girls.” Yn had to refrain from spitting in his face because Draken always said ‘never start anything with others first, let them choose their fate.’ In other words, big bro just didn’t want her to put herself at risk due to minor inconveniences that were presented towards her.

Just as the light switched from a hand to a walking figure, yn politely smiled at the boy in hopes of him getting the hint that she did not wish to engage with him anymore, but – of course – that was just asking too much of him. He turned back and looked at the sign noticing it was their turn to cross, and he surprisingly moved out the way. Yn smiled realizing that her brother did know it best when he said that the ‘dumb young boys will leave you alone after they realize you’re not going to give them the time of day,’ and she moved to pedal across the cross walk with a large smile.

However, big bro’s words are not the golden rule amongst men and the boys did not leave her alone; in fact, they decided to run at her hit the back tire with a bat and caused her to lose control and fall in the middle of the walkway. The drivers were kind enough to wait for her to get up and cross the street with scraped knees and a dirty pull over. She turned back to glare at the boys, but their backs were already facing her as they leisurely walked away laughing. This wasn’t going to ruin her day, after all, she still gets to surprise her brother with her presence and might even have the chance to see his hot amazing friends whom you grew up around. After realizing that the former gang members might all be hanging around her brother’s workplace, she got up with a huge smile and skipped the rest of her way on the crosswalk. Once to the other side, yn hopped back on her bike without checking her bloodied shins and made her way on the quickest route to the shop.

Glancing up at the familiar billboards that danced in sky and looking down at the alleys being populated with street cats and new gen delinquents, she realized she was only a block down from seeing the man who has always put her first and raised her to strive to her fullest potential. Smiling as closed her eyes for just a second - she swears it – to bask in the excitement and next thing she knew, she was on the ground covered in coffee. She could hear faint voices but those were cancelled out by her skin screaming at her to get up and quickly remove any rubble and dirt that had entered. Moving to get up, she took note of blood staining the concrete and became slightly alarmed.

“Oi, you dumb bitch, you should watch where you’re going,” a man’s voice echoed through her head, “you got a drip of blood on my Milano’s.” Trying to get up, yn went to wipe her eyes, but as soon as she lifted her hands, she felt them share the similar sting that her knees and chin felt. “You deaf or something? Ha, lucky for you I’ll take the food in your basket and whatever is in your wallet as an exchange. Pin code for your card must be included, love.” Hearing as she was about to get stripped dry of her hard-earned cash, she shot a glare up at the well-dressed man’s body just to be sent in a more state of terror when she noticed the tattoo that decorated his temple; it was the infamous Bonten symbol.

“I say we just take her to the back alley and make her pretty throat match the rest of her bloody body,” she turned and seen a pinkette with long hair and two scars that sat on each corner of his ?beautiful? mouth. to be completely honest, he would have been very much at the top of her most attractive list if he weren’t just plotting to slice her neck right in front of her; she wondered if he ever heard of the Element of Surprise. “She hasn’t even apologized yet and it’s been at least 45 seconds, that is pretty rude don’t you think, Mochi-kun?”

“It is very rude,” the built man with slicked back blonde hair spoke up, “do you want me to take her in the alleyway?” He squatted down to meet yn at eye level and she didn’t know if it was the fact he was able to stare into her soul with lifeless eyes or the extremely structured shoulders that could break her bones if he had tackled her, but she genuinely felt that she was going to die. “You seem like a worthless kill if I am being honest, and I don’t like claiming meaningless prizes. So, if you want to live,” ‘Mochi-kun’ reached over and gripped her bloodied chin, “or are you going to be good dog and run your pockets?”

She couldn’t believe it; for all her life, death threats have never been directly shot at her as Draken and the others have always been there. Of course, she emptied her pockets as quick as she could and began wiping the man’s Milano’s with her cloth lens wipe.

“Good girl,” the man with the temple tattoo said mockingly, “but I’m gonna need you to put your pretty mouth to work since you don’t know – or rather – you act like you don’t know how to speak.” She felt her eyes began to fill with tears as she looked up from the ground; they mistook it for fear, but yn was just angry she was powerless to them. “Don’t worry, I like older women, so I won’t need your mouth for that,” he laughed loudly in her face, “lick the blood off.” Her glare returned and tears began to spill over her cheeks. “Be a good bitch, and lick my –“

“What are you idiots doing?” a man with a long pink and purple mullet-like hairstyle came from behind her. “Are you guys bullying young kids again? Oh, wait, you’re not a kid.” He stared at you through his multi-colored bangs and tilted his head, “Why are you all bloody like a sewer rat walking through the back alley of feral cats?” he pushed the girl’s forehead back, straining her neck to hold eye contact with him, “you’re not some whore, are you?” He craned his neck back to the man who has been treating her like a dog, giving yn a full view of his Bonten symbol tattooed across the middle of his pretty throat. “Neh, Koko, you do realize that if you want a girl’s attention you can’t just rough her up in hopes that she takes you to bed.” He turns back to yn before sighing, “You’re cute,” for some reason she felt herself swelling with pride, “but you’re not my type,” – well there goes her ego.

“Oh what-fucking-ever,” ‘Koko’ mumbled as he gently pushed her away, “I didn’t want some inexperienced princess anyway, so don’t get your hopes up.” He quickly bent down and took all the cash from her wallet and began to slide out the card, but a baton quickly swatted at his hands.

“Your obsession with money is crazy, but you can’t take hers if you still owe me 45,000 yen.” Yn turned to see a man with pushed back purple and pink hair holding the offending stick. Unlike the other members, his tattoo was in the same place as the mullet man – maybe they took over the organization after her other big brotherly figure, Mikey, left. She drank in his appearance, and although he was thinner than the other members, something about him just screamed ‘stay away;’ but for the first time in her life, yn didn’t want to listen to such obvious red flags. “Oh no, you’re bloodied up like a rat –“

“I have already said that nii-chan,” the mullet head said, “what do you say? Wanna jut get rid of her like Sanzu-san suggested?” The now known younger brother asks. She began to tremble but not out of fear, no, out of a weird feeling at the pits of her stomach that came about as soon as the stranger stumbled onto the scene. “Oi,” the younger brother flicked your chin, reminding your body that it is supposed to be in a state of stinging pain, “staring is rude. What are you – a deer in headlights?”

“Now, now, Ridou,” the man continued to meet yn’s gaze as he motioned for her to take his hand, “where’s the fun in hurting a good little lamb? Especially one who shows that she knows to yield to her Sheppard.” Against her better judgement, yn took his hand and allowed him to help her up. “Look at you go,” he smirked and scanned over her body through hooded lids, “such a strong little girl you are standing on wobbly legs after the big bad wolves tried to tear you down.”

She should feel offended, mocked, and appalled, but she couldn’t – not with the voids he called eyes staring at her. “T-thanks,” she weakly mumbled as she began to gather her bag back together and prop her bike back up, “I know you guys said you needed the pin number, but I can’t give it to you.” She hung her head and balled her fists; she was waiting for someone to hit her but that never came. Looking up she sees the ‘older brother’ standing in front of the brooding ‘Koko’ and the other members just staring around the streets.

“That’s fine, little one,” the older brother said, “we don’t need your card. Koko here will be fine with just the cash. But I will need payment of the sort since I did calm the bully over here, don’t you think?” He smiled at yn, quickly scanning her student ID and then turning back to her face, “You’re 18, yeah?” she nodded, and he smiled lazily, “Good, give me something of yours that is valuable. I want to talk to you again and if I take it, you are going to want to take it back, correct?”

“I – um,” she began to go through the bag and seen that the only things she deemed valuable were her phone and the spare keys to her room in the brothel, “all I have is my k-keys and phone.” She huffed out in hopes that he took mercy and just let her go already; if she kept in his presence any longer, she feared that every piece of knowledge on common sense would fly out of her brain.

“Well, no one wants a pedal bike here and your phone and keys wouldn’t be of use to me,” he spoke in a rather degrading tone, “how about, you give me that pretty little necklace that you’re wearing… hmm, ... oh! Give me your number as well. After all, how are you going to know when I want you to take back your precious gems without being able to plan a proper date?” His smile was too secretive to be comforting, but this was probably the best way to saving her own life.

“Okay,” she replied quickly, “just please, don’t break the necklace…” her hands shook as she unclasped it and placed it into the man’s hands. “That’s a gift from my brother, so I promise you I’ll come and get it whenever you ask.” Yn put her hands on her bar handles before straddling the bike.

“Thank you,” he smiled and put away the baton before fishing out his phone, “put your number in it and call to make sure you’re not fucking with me, yeah?” He tilted his head and softly hummed at the soft sound of her phone vibrating in her bag. “Thank you, yn-chan.”

“No, thank you,” she lightly coughed and waited for him to look back up at her after saving all her contact information. Once he finally looked up, she flinched but proceeded to stare him dead in his lovely irises, “May I have your name… if ya don’t mind that it.”

“Haitani Ran,” the older man laughed and shifted his weight onto his hip, “and I expect you to text me whenever you get the chance.” He turned around and the other members began to follow. For what felt like an eternity, yn finally let out a small breath, well at least until he had turned back around. “Oh!” Haitani-san smiled at her, “Leave it under ‘Ran-senpai’ so your brother and friends don’t get spooked. Don’t want the fun to end before it has barely even started.” With that, he turned back around and waved half-assed before disappearing into the distance.

Yn decided to just to walk the rest of the block because riding the bike has been nothing but bad luck so far. Once at the shop, she sighed and made her way to the back where she knew would be unlocked because no one dared walk up into her big brother’s place of work. Parking her bike, she quickly takes her phone back out with 3 texts from an unknown number.

Unknown: hey little lamb, its yer senpai <3

Unknown: yer probs with yer bro so ill call you later, mm around midnight so stay up

Unknown: text me back soon or I mite accidentally break your pretty necklace and youll have to  owe me a big favor for ignoring me :)

“what the actual fuck,” yn whispered as she quickly began typing away. She didn’t know if she be upset with his back-to-back messages treating her like she was his property, or mad at herself for feeling this little need inside of her that wants to please him. Yes, all of the gang members were extremely hot and DANGEROUS, but something about ‘Ran Senpai’ gave her the cold chills; what made it worse was the urge that she possessed to go against all her morals for him.

Yn: hi! Im sorry,, I was just trying to get to my brother’s shop

Yn: wait,, do you know draken-nii?

She tilted her head and rocked lightly from side to side, waiting for a reply instead of going in and surprising her brother like she initially had planned to do. While she waited, she changed his name to ‘Tani Senpai <3’ with a small smile as she imagined Draken freaking out over the fact that a boy has caught her interest. Of course, she wasn’t romantically interested in the man, but his face isn’t one that she would mind seeing from time to time – at a safe distance that is.

Tani Senpai <3: mhm, some good and bad history

Yn: oh?

Tani Senpai <3: you do know curiosity killed the cat, right little lamb?

Yn: you flirt a lot

Yn: how old are you ?

Tani Senpai <3: 28 years young bb

Yn: youre ten whole years older than me?? You look so,, young.

Tani Senpai <3: I have aged, but trust me, I am rather youthful in different aspects.

Yn: do you by chance,, like memes?

Tani Senpai <3: ofc, especially hornee ones.

Yn: haha.. well I gotta go,

Tani Senpai <3: mhm go ahead baby, remember. Midnight <3

 Yn: aye aye captain.

She felt another vibration as she placed her phone in her backpack, but she was finally able to see and surprise her brother and that is exactly what she planned to do. Quietly pulling the door open, she noted that the music blaring and Draken’s back was to her as he was fixing up what looked like Pah-chin’s old CBX 400F. It was a cute sight if she was being completely honest; her brother rebuilding his old friendships. She seen the other boys’ bikes lined up too: Draken’s Zephyr, Mitsuya’s little Impulse, Kazu-kun’s Rocket, Mikey’s CB250T, and even the late Baji’s Goki.

“Pah-san still has the old thing,” she decided to speak up instead of tackling her brother, “are you guys gonna give it to some younger kids?” right as she finished her sentence, draken whipped his head back and went to cradle yn to his chest. Suddenly, all of the stinging on her skin had vanished and she was giggling while circling her arms around her brother’s waist. “How are you ya wannabe greaser?”

“I’m doing fine you idiot, how are -,” draken lifted his head to get a good look at her, but all his excitement drained as he was met with a sight of dried blood and scraped skin. “Who the fuck did this to you? I’ll kill them right fucking now, what the hell happened yn?”

“DRAKEN,” he stopped and stared at you expecting an answer, “I tired riding my bike down the big hill by the park and this happened, okay? I’m okay.” She stared at him with a soft expression and relaxed once she noticed he slumped in his posture, “I know you said to stop riding down the hill because it’ll bite me in the ass one day, so I guess today was the day.” Yn laughed and draken tried to fight the small smile that was threatening to fall on his lips.

“Go sit on the counter and watch the store for a bit, I’m gonna get the first aid kit in the back and I guess I’ll patch ya up.” With that, he disappeared into the office hall and left yn to be lost in thought. She had never lied to Draken this heavy before. It might not seem like a big deal to others, but she just told her brother she fell down a hill instead of saying that some /Bonten/ men were just threatening her life 20 minutes ago and they treated her like a dog; well, she didn’t feel that bad anymore, considering that he would have gone and wasted his life against men that played dirty. “Get out of your head, I’m back.” Draken teased her before getting an alcohol wipe and wiping the dried blood, “don’t squirm too much, loser. iss’ gonna sting a bit tho, so try to not hit me.”

It went a lot more smooth than she had expected, yeah, the cleansing wipe and ointment burned, but now she was bandaged and able to not worry about even more blood staining her clothes til they go to the brothel.

“Here,” he handed her a spare shirt and some sweats, “I don’t like seeing you all beat up, makes me want to fight the side walk. You know where the bathroom is.” Draken slightly punched her shoulder before heading back to seat near the bike, “once you’re done, we can go meet the boys for breakfast. I bet yer hungry.”

“Yer the best, ya know that,” yn smiled before taking her bag and clothes to the bathroom. “It won’t be long,” she turned before entering the hall, “make sure the cute one is there!”

“Stop trying to fuck my friends,” Draken called out in an irritated tone as she walked away laughing. It was an ongoing joke yn had played on her brother, where she would pretend to have some crush on his friends and it’d just make him twenty times more protective around them; he never knew if she was serious or not so he had to be cautious.

Once in the bathroom, yn quickly changed into the clothes her brother had lent her and stared at herself in the mirror. She laughed when she realized she kind of looked like one of the main characters from her favorite psychological thrillers. Yn took out her phone and decided to message Mana, mitsuya’s younger sister and yn’s best friend from home, with a picture of her bandaged state and the caption, ‘take out my ankles next time, daddy <3.’ It honestly surprised her to get a reply that fast as Mana was always one to sleep until noon. She didn’t know what scared her more, the fact she sent it the wrong person, or the fact the person knew exactly what she was talking about.

Tani Senpai <3: you look hot like that

Tani Senpai <3: like being called daddy, but in this context arent I supposed to call you mommy or something LMAO

Tani Senpai <3: I can break your ankles with my baton

Tani Senpai <3: make you my little housewife and call you ‘Bum.’

Tani Senpai <3: don’t worry, I won’t turn into ashes ;) <3

“Yn,” Draken called out, “you okay in there?”

“Don’t worry about it nii-Chan,” she giggled in hopes of masking her terror, “just bumped into a wound. I’ll be out soon.”

“Okay,” draken slipped a pad and a tampon under the door, “don’t know if you might want these -,”

“LEAVE YOU IDIOT,” yn genuinely laughed and heard draken’s heavy chuckles through the door, “thank you though, I’ll be out soon.”

“I’ll be outside on the bike, bubs.”

After hearing draken’s foot steps vanish, she quickly began typing.

Yn: that wasn’t meant for you -

Tani Senpai <3: shame, I love killing stalking

Yn: wait,, really? 👀

Tani Senpai <3: mhm,, we’ll talk about it later tonite ‘bum ;)

Yn: .. deal :)

Despite every shitty thing that has happened to her since she got back, it felt as if they were supposed to meet; fate as one would call it. She was offering herself to one of the most dangerous men who rule the underworld, and she didn’t even find herself to minding.

masterlist | next

an: hi hello, hope yer all eating well :)

ryozoro©

[lovely-angst]

It’s a date

10.13.20

it’s good to be back in kacchan’s arms

It had officially been over a year since your break up with Bakugou. 

The end of your relationship had become rocky and the two of you just couldn’t keep the relationship stable no matter how hard you tried. Though it was mutual, you thought you could heal and move on after a few weeks, but here you were, a year later, still hung up on the man. 

You learned to slowly understand that whatever the two of you had, it was in the past and that it was time to move on. The single life wasn’t terrible either, but somehow, you found yourself thinking about how much more fun running simple errands would be with Bakugou.

It didn’t help much that the two of you still went to school together, thankfully, in different classes. It also didn’t help much that all of your classmates knew of the previous relationship. It seemed as if everyone was rooting for the relationship—how devastating it must have been to hear the news. 

Thankfully, being a third year in the hero course kept you busy enough to keep your mind from wandering back to Bakugou. Though lately, you’d been thinking about him a lot.

You would hear from some friends about how Bakugou was doing, how he would get amazing internships with some amazing heroes. Of course, he would, he was just that great. 

It didn’t help much that you would see him in the hallways from time to time or when your classes would meetup to train. Did he always look so cool when he wore his hero costume? You weren’t sure, but you didn’t want to keep on thinking about him. 

The relationship ended for a reason, there was no point on going back.

-

” Hey, (Name)?” Hearing your name called, you glanced upwards to find a few of your friends with large grins on their faces. “So we know you’ve been single for a while now, but I thought I could set you up on a blind date this weekend? What do you say?” 

Your eyes widened as you blinked at them, speechless. “Blind date?” you repeat, still in disbelief. 

Giggling, she nodded, “Don’t worry, he’s no creep. He’s actually in the hero course at Shiketsu High,” she informs, but the hesitant and worried expression doesn’t leave your face. “He said he’d love to meet you, I think you should give it a try,” she says with a small, supportive smile and you couldn’t help but give in. 

With a sigh, you nodded, “Fine, I’ll go.” You had no intention of pursuing another serious relationship, but it didn’t hurt to meet new people. 

So, here you were, standing in the busy city of Tokyo as you glanced down at your phone for the hundredth time—an hour passed your meetup time. Sighing, you quickly shot your friend a text, giving her an update of the date like she had asked. 

‘Got stood up :^\’

Putting your phone away, you glanced down at the outfit you had put together for the date you were supposed to go on. And to think you tried to dress up a little nicer too. 

Trying to calm the building anger inside of you, you found an empty bench away from the hustle and bustle of the city. As soon as you sat down, you couldn’t help but begin to pity yourself. 

-

“I knew today would be perfect for some icecream!” Kirishima exclaims happily, walking out of the ice cream shop before chomping into his icecream cone before letting out a pained scream over sensitive teeth.

Bakugou rolled his eyes as he held his simple vanilla cone in one hand. Though he’d hate to admit it, Kirishima was right. Today was a good day for some ice cream, especially from how busy he was in the past week. He deserved a well relaxed day like today. 

Just as Bakugou was about to dig into his icecream, Kirishima spoke up, “Hey, isn’t that (Name)?” 

His red eyes shot up to where his friend was pointing before he laid eyes on you alone on the bench, looking quite, dejected. 

“I wonder what she’s doing all alone?” Kirishima questioned curiously as the pair watched you from across the street. “Date gone wrong?”

“As if,” Bakugou scoffed, stuffing a free hand into his pocket. “Why don’t you go talk to her? Ask her if she’s okay?” Kirishima suggests, but Bakugou glances at him with narrowed eyes. “What? Why me?”

Kirishima shrugs, “You know her better, plus you’re just asking her if she’s okay!” Bakugou glared at his friend before clicking his tongue annoyingly, turning away to walk in your direction. 

“I’ll swing by in a few minutes!” Kirishima replied as bit into his ice cream once more. 

Each step Bakugou took, he wanted to turn back and tell Kirishima that approaching you was a stupid idea, but before he knew it, he was already standing in front of you.

Noting a pair of shoes slide into your view, you raise your head to find Bakugou staring down at you, thinking intensely. Before you could manage a greeting, Bakugou interrupts the silence. 

“Why are you looking all depressed here alone like someone who had just been ghosted on a date?” He questions and you know it was his way of trying to be comforting, but all you could do was sigh and give him a shrug, a sad smile on your lips. 

“Well, I have. Just got stood up today,” Bakugou’s eyes narrow before you glance back down at your nails, “It’s not a big deal though, it was a blind date my friend set me on, so I don’t know the guy, but I wasn’t expected to be stood up.” 

Bakugou stared down at you before deciding to settle down beside you, a good length keeping the two of you apart. 

“Blind date or not, it doesn’t matter,” Bakugou glances at you before offering you his icecream, “Here, I haven’t touched it yet. You seem to need it more than I do,” he says gently, your eyes wide as you focus on the vanilla swoop. 

“What? Just because I’m a girl, you think I need some ice cream to cheer me up?” You say playfully, taking the ice cream from his hands before giving it a lick. 

“Don’t act like you never ate ice cream when you were upset,” he snickers and you give him a small smile. 

“Hey bro!” hearing a voice call out, you notice Kirishima running towards the two of you with a wave. “Oh hey, (Name)! How have you been?” 

“I’ve been better,” Kirishima frowns at your response, “sorry to hear. Well, if it makes you feel any better, Bakubro here can spend the day with you. We were gonna hang, but Kaminari sent me this urgent message telling me to meet up with him at the arcade to play some DDR, so gotta run!” 

With a wave, he sped off, leaving you alone with Bakugou once more. You glanced over at Bakugou, who looked just as confused and slightly irritated at the news. 

“You don’t have to hang out with me, you can head home, I’ll be fine,” you say, standing up, Bakugou following your actions. “You have the rest of the day free, let’s go for some lunch. I haven’t had anything to eat yet.”

A smile forms on your lips as you give him a nod, “I haven’t either, lunch sounds great.”

Walking side by side with Bakugou was comforting, like all those days ago when the two of you used to date. Granted, it was sort of awkward because the two of you are no longer in a relationship. 

Tossing the last piece of the cone in your mouth, you glance up at Bakugou, “Hey, thanks for the ice cream. I guess I needed it more than I thought,” you say, Bakugou giving you his signature shrug. 

“It’s nothing. Didn’t know you were going on dates with guys you didn’t know, didn’t anybody tell you about stranger danger?” he joked, causing you to frown at him. “I only accepted the date because my friend was really bugging me to go. Plus, she said he was a good guy and he is in the hero course as Shiketsu, so how bad can he be?” 

Rolling his eyes, Bakugou scoffed, “He stood you up, so much for a good guy,” Ignoring his comment, the two of you made it to a tonkatsu curry shop before settling down to order. 

“What can I get you two?” The waitress asked, pouring the two of you some water. Bakugou studied the menu in his hands for a minute before speaking up, “One spicy tonkatsu curry for me and one mild for her,” he states, handing the menu back. 

“Sure thing,” as soon as she was a good distance away, you gawked at Bakugou, “How’d you know that’s what I was going to order?” 

“I know you can’t handle your spice as good as me,” he states nonchalantly, “I guess you haven’t changed much.” Crossing your arms, watching him drink his water, “Oh yeah? Since when?” 

“Since we last dated, obviously.” Hearing those words come from him, your cheeks flush lightly before you grabbed your water for a quick sip. “Getting shy there, princess?” 

His teasing caused your face to flush more and noticeably this time. He still knows how to wrap you around his finger. 

You didn’t think Bakugou was going to stick with you for the rest of the day, opting out to head home sometime after lunch, but here he was, standing beside you with a warm cup of hot chocolate in his hand, watching the sun go down with you. 

“This shit is too sweet,” Bakugou complained as he finished taking a sip of the sweet drink. “You didn’t have to get that drink, Bakugou,” you reminded, keeping your hands warm on the cup.

“Yeah, but you kept going on and on about how good this drink was. It couldn’t be that good and I still stand corrected,” he shot back, you rolling your eyes with a snort. “Whatever you say, princess.” 

Just as Bakugou was about to shoot another comment, the street lights and the hanging lights that hung around the trees lit up as the sun finally went down. Your eyes widened with an excited squeak left your lips. 

Your hand fell onto Bakugou’s forearm as you looked around delighted, “Katsuki, isn’t it pretty?” 

His heart jumped at the sound of your voice calling his name. He thought he was never going to hear you call for him again, but it sounded just as lovely as it did before. 

Maybe even more so now than before.

“Katsuki?” He repeated, your head turning to glance up at the male. Jumping at the realization, you quickly removed your hand from him before settling it on your cup, pushing your hair away from your face embarrassed.

“S-sorry! I didn’t mean to call you by your name! It just-” 

“It just what?”

With your lips pressed in a tight line, you tried not to show your panicking heart as you held your cup tightly. Though you felt so small and embarrassed from being caught, a rush of bravery flew through you. 

“It reminded me of the dates we used to go on when we were together,” you confessed, glancing back over at the beautifully lit street. 

Bakugou was glad you weren’t focused on him right now, you’d see how flushed he’d become from your words because you were right—it did feel like a date from the time the two of you were together. 

A ringing fell upon the quiet silence between the two of you before you reached into your pocket to pull out your phone, your face falling from a quick read of the message. 

“My mom wants me home now,” you say, trying to hide the sadness in your voice. “I’ll walk you to the station,” Bakugou quickly chimed in, your smile soothing the ache in his heart. 

The walk to the station was a quiet one as the two of you walked together no words exchanged. “Everything was going so well until I had to screw up and call him by his first name. Now he definitely knows I’m not over him after a whole year!” you scream mentally. 

“Thanks for hanging out with me today, Bakugou. I’m actually glad I got stood up for once,” you say, trying to lighten the mood as the two of you stood outside the station. 

“It’s nothing,” he replied, one hand stuffed in his pocket as the other held his not so hot, hot chocolate. “See you sometime,” you say, giving him one last smile before turning to walk into the station. 

“(Name),” Bakugou called out, watching you turn around, “I’m free next weekend if you are, for another cup of hot chocolate,” he says, watching the smile grow on your face.

“I thought you didn’t like hot chocolate?” you chuckle and Bakugou gives you a shrug, “Guess we have to find the perfect cup, huh?” Another giggle escapes your lips, fueling Bakugou’s heart.

“So, it’s a date?” you ask curiously with a playful smile, awaiting his response. “It’s a date.” Raising his cup, you followed in suit, raising your cup as well, “See you next weekend!” you say before turning around to catch your train. 

Smiling to himself, Bakugou turned around, walking back home, taking a sip of his too sweet hot chocolate, “It’s a date.”

[poetofthedyingstars]

hehe here’s fluff for u,,, i didn’t proof read this btw so notice what u notice. 

taglist: @aedan-mills @crispin-kreme @theluminoussunflower

“I don’t want to go,” Todd whines as he lays his back on the bed. “Come on, Cam, let’s stay indoors and sleep.”

Cameron looked at him, exhausted and patted his shoulders as if to say ‘i want that too but’. “Charlie, Todd says he doesn’t want to go.”

Charlie ran in their room, hands on his comb and hair. “Why? I thought you said it was okay? I already promised to you that it’s nothing batshit!”

Todd avoided their gaze. “I dunno,” he said, almost a whisper. “Blind dates are weird.”

“And saving people in Halloween costumes isn't?” Charlie eyed him and snickered.

Cameron glared at him. “I swear to God- I’m going to strangle you with your most hated halloween costume.”

Todd chuckled. “First of all, may I remind you that the costumes are your idea? It was also for the kids! And, secondly, blind dates are different. I need to share interests, talk, chill- whatever. It’s exhausting! I don’t even know who I am meeting.”

Charlie, done fixing his hair, was putting on his suit. “Alright, let’s make a deal. I know this guy by heart- he’s really nice. So, if anything happens that makes you uncomfortable, we’ll fetch you up immediately. Is that okay?”

Todd sat up and looked at his friends and pursued his lips. “Fine, I’m already dressed up anyways.”

Charlie smiled and clasped his hands. “Great, Toddy! Also, Cam, honey, will you help me with the ties, please?”

Cameron stood up to help Charlie and grunted, saying, “You know, you should really learn how to do your ties.”

Charlie just smiled cheekily and simply shook his head. Todd sighed. Always being with his two married-like bestfriends could sometimes trigger jealousy. That’s why Charlie offered a blind date to him. Todd hesitated at first but well, he figured, if he doesn’t try he’d probably be stuck with these two. Plus, if it fails, he’s never trying it again. Simple as that.

After a whole week of a bit of work - he might get a rest tonight. And hopefully, love too.

-

Todd tapped his feet on the floor, uneasily. The restaurant was full and the two had already left him for their own date. He texted them again, just to make sure he’s not going to get stood up.

T: “What is he wearing?”

Chicken boi: “IDK bro he said something green u jus chill there k”

T: “It's taking too long, should I leave?”

Chicken boi: “toddy you’ve only been there for 3 minutes. calm down you'll be fine”

Todd sighed and put back the phone in his pocket. He wished he was sleeping right now. In his comfortable bed, while the TV is on, showing whatever’s on the godforsaken news. Or maybe just read a book on the cozy sofa. Or maybe watching a movie while wearing his sweaters and socks. He sighed again. Anywhere but here, he supposed.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when somebody sat on the chair in front of him. He’s incredibly handsome, wearing a green sweater tucked in leather pants.

‘It must be the guy Charlie was talking about,’ he thought.

“Hi,” Todd forced an awkward smile. The guy looked at him, seemed uninterested, but forced a smile too. They both stayed quiet as one did not know what to say and the other seemed to be bothered by other things.

Todd bit the insides of his cheeks and decided to break the silence.

“Look-”

“So-”

They both said in unison. Todd gestured his hand to let the Guy go on first. They cleared their throat and sat up straight.

“Okay,” they coughed again. “So, you look pretty nice, yea… cause erm, see, I’m having dinner with my buddies here and I forgot to have a reservation…”

Oh, my god! This is the worst date ever. Todd stopped listening after they said something about inviting someone else over. Because that means Todd probably needs to leave or endure the whole evening with more strangers. If they ask Todd to stay, he would just leave. The Guy stopped talking after a minute.

“... so, like, i hope you understand my situation- like-”

Todd stopped him midway. “It’s fine, you can have this table.”

The Guy looked at him as if hesitating. “Really?”

Todd raised both of his eyebrows. “Sure. whatever. I’m leaving anyway.”

“Oh- uhm, thank you,” they smiled but Todd didn’t spare them any attention anymore and left the resto. He didn’t even look back.

Walking away, he felt very frustrated and embarrassed and had the urge to rip his face off- which is becoming a common occurence now. What a jerk. He didn’t even ask Todd’s number or say sorry.

With no ride and purpose for the night, Todd searched for the nearest convenient store and bought Mogu-mogu. He bought two which are both strawberry flavored. He walked back to the resto’s parking lot. It’s spacious and eerily lonely so Todd chose to sit there. Plus, if he ever decides to call Charlie- which probably is not going to happen- it’d be easier to find him there.

For now, he’s just going to sit here and wait an hour or two. Maybe just until his drink ran out. He sighed. Oh, to be in his bed right now. His only problems are what he is going to say when they ask him about the date.

He stood up- walking back and forth. His shoulders slumped and his face looked like he was bombed by the sky and earth. He walked left and he walked right. He was so lost in thought he didn’t notice someone was walking behind him. They bumped into each other. Todd’s drink spilled on the other one.

“Shit! I’m so sorry!”

He heard them sighed. “It’s okay, I swear. I’m harvesting a lot of bad luck today.”

It wasn’t okay with Todd. “I’m really, really, sorry. I’ll- I’ll buy you a shirt- is that okay?”

They chuckled and looked at Todd. “Well, sure. I don't have a choice, eh?”

Todd smiled. “Yeah…” he mumbled, embarrassed. They looked at each other for a moment. Todd swore that if he’s blushing right now, he’ll bury himself later when he gets home. Because, this beautiful man that came from god-knows-where, probably from the stars or a sculpture from the Gods itself.

“So…?”

“Yeah, uhm, right, shall we… go now?”

They went to a nearby dress shop they could find. Todd said he’ll buy anything they want.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m not a very dress-up person,” is what they replied but surely it was not true because they’ve been picking clothes one after another. Which is fine. But, you know.

Todd sighed and promised himself not to get out of his house for at least a month. This is the worst day of his life and if this bottom rock can still have a downhill, he'll lose it.

Sitting down on one of the benches in the store while his new found friend fits whatever clothes he wants in the fitting room, he checked his phone.

New messages from Chicken boi (charlie).

Chicken boi messages:

yo??? how's it goin?

my guy just texted, he'll be late

he's wearing a brown flannel he said

u ok?? guess u both r busy

Todd widened his eyes when he saw that the messages were not far from recent— so, like— the guy from before at the resto, wasn't it? Todd facepalmed.

Well, it's something to be thankful for! However, if that weren't his date— then, who?!

As if on cue, the one Todd bumped into just came out from the fitting closet, wearing a new polo.

“Is this okay?” they asked.

“It looks great on you,” Todd answered with a smile. They sat beside him.

“Well, hopefully, my charm would swoon my date and forget eventually about why I'm late.”

Something hit Todd.

(More like, todd.exe broke.)

“Uh, do you know any Charlie, perchance?”

“Wait… Don't tell me you're Charlie's blind date?”

Todd felt a refreshing warm water was thrown at him. Felt relieved. “Yeah, well, YOU'RE Charlie's blind date!”

They looked at each other for a second and laughed.

“I'm Neil Perry,” he said.

“Todd Anderson,” he paused and smiled. “You won't believe what happened to me before you came.”

Neil smiled widely and laughed. “You won't believe what happened to me either—”

Before they could catch up to one another's experience, one of the saleslady approached them. She cleared her throat.

“Are you going to buy that, sir?”

“Uhm, yes, sorry!”

They gave each other a meaningful look as they hid their laughter. Todd felt so silly right now. He never enjoyed rollercoasters but this day was like one.

When they got out of the store, Neil offered to drive somewhere in the park. To stargaze he said. Todd agreed, of course. Better to spend the date wisely, right?

The green grasses stretched under the car where they laid up to the forests behind them. Like the parking lot where they met, it was spacious and eerily lonely— but the mood changed. Todd forgot how he yearned to be cozy in his apartment, he felt pretty cozy right now, with Neil, and that's great.

It's great, he supposed. After a long day, he found peace.

“Is it just me or was this night crazy?”

Todd nodded his head while smiling. “Definitely! So, I was waiting for the resto before I was in the parking lot right? So this guy came up to me, wearing a green sweater and just sat down— not saying anything! I thought it was you. Then, I don't know, he started talking about forgetting to reserve, blah blah. So I just left and gave him the table for them and their friends! I was so freaking annoyed and embarrassed.”

Neil chuckled. “I'm so sorry for that! But, if that happened to me, I would've done the same. Now, on my part, my friend borrowed the outfit I was supposed to wear tonight because they have a gala and his supposed outfit— you won't believe this— got eaten by moths! So, of course, yeah I gave it to him. I have another outfit, after all, but get this, I went outside and then this dude from our apartment spilled white paint all over me. I had to change again! And my car had problems before I could even leave. It was a mess.”

Todd laughed. “Oh my God— maybe blind dates aren't for us?”

“Yeah… we still met though. I'm glad.”

Todd glanced at him. “Me too.”

And then they were silent. Sighing while the stars stared back at them. Todd wondered if they were singing to them, right now. Whispering a new story to the Gods. Weaving the tale of this chaotic and unlucky couple in the making.

“Can I play some music?” Neil asked after a moment. He whispered a soft yes.

Neil got down from the roof of the car. Todd heard the door open and ruffle and then some music playing.

Todd was sure now that the stars sang for them.

“I know it's all withered and dying now, but here,” he said and handed a bouquet to Todd. It was lilacs. Todd loved lilacs. In the middle of the flowers, there was a small card. He took it and read it.

“Passing stranger! You do not know how longingly I look upon you // you must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking, (it comes to me as of a dream) // I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you // All is recall’d as we flit by each other, fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured.

Yours Truly, Neil Perry :)”

Todd bit his lip. “Well, this is very sweet-” he didn't know what to say. “And, Walt Whitman too?”

“You got a man of taste,” he smirked.

Todd chuckled. “True, true.”

They both laid on top of the car in silence again. Todd loved how peaceful they are now— felt like they belonged nowhere in the universe; nowhere in time and it's just the two of them. He felt a strange comfort in him. It's nice. It wasn't totally a disaster, after all.

“Know what I was thinking?”

“Hm?”

“I bet it would be more chaotic like this when we get a second date.”

Todd smiled. They have a second date.

“Me too.”

BONUS:

Neil woke up with peace that morning. Not tired, motivated, even! Which doesn't happen a lot.

“Good morning, Meeks,” Neil greeted his friend, Meeks.

“Morning, Neil! Oh, by the way, there was a delivery for you,” Meeks said.

“What? I didn't order anything, though?”

“I dunno, it was a box. PITTSIE, can you please get it?”

“Hold on-”

Pitts entered the kitchen with a box in his hand.

“I think it's from Todd Anderson,” says Pitts, reading the mail sticker. Neil felt like something kicked him. He was fully awake.

He snatched the box from Pitts’ hand and opened it. It was a green coat with one pink carnation on top of it. It comes with a handwritten letter too.

It reads:

“I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night alone // I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again, I am to see to it that I do not lose you.”

And, on the back, it says:

“For our second date. x Todd Anderson.”

Neil felt like it's going to be the best and happiest day in his entire existence.

[boognish-worshipper]

Midnight City AU

it took me forever to decide where to go with this chapter and i was literally getting fed up editing it 😭 i’ve been so busy with all the chaos goin on in my life rn too so yeah writing’s been feeling delayed over all but i decided to just finalize this one for rn and uhhh sorry if it seems funky or shortttt

//Chapter 3: Vanished

The next day, Trevor went back to Sterling Lake Park, after spending the night at Wade’s. He agreed to meet up with him there later, walking around the park with his earbuds in. As he threw himself down on his usual bench, he settled on listening to his usual playlist of his favorite songs. He scrolled through nosedivr once again, taking a photo of the lake. It was foggy, and the thick air sat atop the water. He liked when it was like that. A sturdy drumbeat thumped in his ears, making him feel whole. He paused it briefly, just to change it to a different song that was even louder, but with the lack of music he could now hear the crunch of gravel not too far away. He thought he told Wade to come later on? He looked up from his phone, pulling out an earbud. It was the guy from yesterday.

“Hey.”

“Hello.”

“Where’s Amanda?” He asked, glancing around.

“Uhh she’s.. not here today. I kinda came to see if you were here. I wanna get to know more people at this park if I’m gonna hang ‘round here more I guess.”

“But she doesn’t like me?”

“She don’t gotta know.”

“Well aren’t you Boyfriend of the Year.”

“Oh uh, we aren’t dating yet.”

“Thought she was your girl though.”

“She is, she is. But it’s nothing serious. Not yet. And I don’t know what happened between you guys but you don’t seem that bad, so if I wanna talk to you that’s more of a her problem than me.”

“Huh.”

Today Michael wore an eCola shirt, which was obviously made to resemble their old logo, with blue jeans. He had on a pair of red sneakers this time to match the color of the shirt. They looked slightly newer, compared to the pair he wore yesterday. He dressed nice for such a basic style. Trevor on the other hand, threw on an old, frayed Love Fist t-shirt, and messy jeans. He wore a different pair of boots, some kind of knockoff of a popular name brand. A pair of purple lensed circular glasses sat on his head, the nose pieces caught in his hair.

“So.. uh. Mind if I sit there?”

“Not like I own the bench or anything, go right ahead.”

He cautiously sat next to Trevor, hands in his lap. Trevor started one of his other playlists up again, settling on a mix of Paramore and Green Day. He left an earbud out, just so he wouldn’t be completely rude. He mindlessly scrolled, occasionally looking back at the lake or casting a sideways glance at Michael, who was looking at him funny. Sighing, he paused his music, putting his earbuds away.

“What.”

“I.. nothin’ man. I just, I dunno. What is the point of coming here?”

“It’s a public fuckin’ park man.”

“I know, but you said that you don’t even really like the people here, so what’s the point?”

“There is no ‘point’ to it. I just like time to myself is all. These guys don’t bother me, and I don’t bother them. They only start trouble when they see fit.”

“Ah… I see? What were you listening to by the way?”

Trevor stifled a groan, not really wanting to talk to the guy when he had time to freely plot his scheme.

“Pop punk shit. Ever heard of it?”

“Uh, no? I thought punk wasn’t supposed to be popular. Or fit in. Or whatever.”

“That’s merely the ideology, which I do follow, dear Michael. I just like the sound I guess. You know Paramore?”

“Not really. I don’t listen to that stuff much.”

“Then what the fuck do you listen to?”

“Not sure if it has a genre per say, but I like that song Radioactive goin’ around? Songs that sound like that I guess.”

“You like Imagine Dragons?”

“That’s what they’re called?”

Trevor could only stare at him. Was this guy living under a rock?

“Uh.. yeah. Y’know what- never mind, what else do you listen to?”

“80s music?”

No wonder this guy was unaware of who’s popular now.

“Amanda’s been trying to get me into groups like the 1975. I actually kinda like them.”

Trevor rolled his eyes.

“Of course she did.”

“They’re not that bad to be honest. She likes that weird alternative shit.”

“Yeah, I know. By the way, there is a name for that genre. Indie rock. Can’t stand the stuff.”

“How come?”

“You know, you ask a lotta fuckin’ questions.”

“I’m just tryna understand this shit here. I ain’t in the loop of all these trends.”

“Well, for your information I just find the style to be too slow and whiny for my taste. I like fast, upbeat, wild stuff.”

“Any recommendations then? I wanna impress Amanda by at least knowing one artist off that nosedivr thing she goes on.”

He raised a brow, not really wanting to share anything else knowing he would just repeat it back to her, but he shrugged and continued.

“Alright. Besides pop punk, I like experimental songs. Underground groups. Crystal Castles are my favorite.”

“Never heard of ‘em.”

“Wouldn’t expect you to.”

“Right.”

“If you want more indie rock shit though, I suggest listening to I don’t know, the Arctic Monkeys? That seems more like her taste.”

“These bands have such weird names.”

“I think bands have always been like that.”

“Hey wait a sec, I thought you didn’t like that stuff? How do you know the name of one of those groups?”

“Ugh… I guess I might as well say it if you’re gonna get with her, but we were friends at some point. She introduced me to those bands, but even then I didn’t really like it. We had a stupid falling out I’d rather not get into.”

“Oh.. sorry.”

“Eh, don’t be. Shit happens. You definitely seem like her type though, no wonder she got with you.”

“What’s her type?”

“Heh. As if I’d tell you.” He scoffed.

“C’mon man, please?”

“Nope.”

Michael frowned, slumping in his seat.

“Fine. Whatever. Not like I need to know.”

“You could at least pretend you don’t care.”

“I don’t.”

“You clearly do, bro.”

He sat arms crossed, turning a smidge away from Trevor. This was his opportunity to listen to his tunes again, but before he could Michael spoke up.

“Can I… can I listen to whatever you’re listening to?”

“Huh?”

“I wanna hear what you’re into.”

Trevor shot him a puzzled look.

“Uh.. okay.”

Wiping off an earbud, he handed one to Michael. He already had one in.

“Pick your poison cowboy.”

“Cowboy?”

“Just a nickname I give people.” He shrugged.

Michael settled on his experimental music, actually nodding along to the sound. They were closer than a minute ago, and it made Trevor uncomfortable for whatever reason. Maybe because he was never in such close proximity to strangers, but the other part of him didn’t care that much. Michael’s eyes were closed, smiling.

“You like it?”

“Yeah! Reminds me of synth stuff from the 80s, just more modern I guess.”

He smiled back at Michael, appreciating the fact there was someone else who liked the music he liked. The two listened to a couple different playlists he had, up until the moment Wade arrived at the park.

“Trevor! Hey!”

“Woah. Who’s your friend?”

“Hm?” He pulled out the single earbud, turning his head around. Wade had clown makeup on, making Trevor jump in his seat.

“Fucks sake. Hey Wade.”

“Ooh who’s this?”

He wasn’t sure if Wade freaked him out or not, seeing as the guy not only had matted locs, but many facial piercings as well. And the clown shit. He stood up to introduce them to one another.

“Wade, this is Michael. Michael, Wade.”

The way Michael looked at him was like a kid seeing a zoo animal for the first time. He looked bewildered, but not disgusted.

“Hi. What’s with the..?” He wavered a hand in Wade’s direction.

“Oh! It’s jus’ clown face. Not tryna scare ya or nothin’!”

“Uh huh… man. How have I never been around these parts? You guys are real different.”

“You got that right, Mike.”

“Seems like I’ve been missin’ out. I hangout with some dudes who would hate this place if I’m being honest.”

“I’ll have to meet ‘em sometime.” Trevor chuckled.

“They’re real cool guys. Didn’t expect our paths to cross, but anything’s possible in this fuckin’ city.”

“Oh yeah. Land of opportunities, for all types of wackjobs.”

“Ain’t that the truth.”

A hand tapped Trevor on the shoulder.

“Uh, excuse me, Trevor, but are we still gonna talk about the Merryweather thingy-”

“Wade! Shut it-”

“What Merryweather thing?”

“Nothing, nothing. Not important.” He said, gritting his teeth, glare strong on Wade.

“Okay..”

“But you said we’d talk about it over icecream!”

“Later, Wade. Not right now.”

“Fiiine. Can we still get icecream though?”

“Sure. Promise. I’ll let you know.”

“Okay! Bye Trevor, bye stranger!”

Michael lifted a hand to haphazardly to wave goodbye.

“What was that about?”

“I told ya man, nothin’. Just going over some plans we’re making.”

“Is it about that special event being held there?”

“How you know about that?”

“Mandy told me.”

“Mandy… yeah. Figures as much.”

“She got an invite, and wants me to go as her plus one. I don’t know if I really wanna go though, I’m still pretty unfamiliar with all this.”

“Trust me, you don’t.”

“Seriously, what is your beef with those guys?”

“I told you, they start shit when they want. Taught ‘em a lesson and that was it. Nearly got me banned from this place, but it was kinda worth the looks on their faces.”

“You are.. quite peculiar y’know. Anyway, you mind showing more of that music? I was honestly gettin’ a kick outta it.”

“Uh, yeah.”

He sat back down next to Michael, handing him the same earbud as before. He clicked on one of his favorite Crystal Castles songs, Vanished. As they were listening, Michael furrowed his eyebrows.

“Hey wait a minute.. I think I’ve heard this before.”

“You have? I thought you didn’t know them.”

“No, I mean yeah I haven’t, but that’s not it. The lyrics. Vocals. I’ve heard them in a different song.”

“Oh.”

“Lemme think, lemme think, ah… I got it! Pass me your phone real quick.”

His fingers typed in the song title fast, pressing play right away. It was an indie rock song, much to Trevor’s dismay. But something stopped him from complaining, seeing how Michael’s face lit up.

“Yeah! This is it, Sex City by Van She. Y’know, I honestly think that’s neat.”

“What is?”

“The fact that a song you like, samples a song I like! Who would’ve guessed?” He said, eyes sparkling. Trevor didn’t notice how bright they were until now. The eye contact, along with the lack of space between them, made him feel stuffy again. He averted his eyes back to his phone, trying to loosen up a bit. As the song played, he savored in the sound, shocking himself a bit. The rock sound was there, but had an 80s sort of feel to it. The song finished before he knew it.

“So.. What’d ya think?”

“You know my thoughts on indie shit. Wasn’t for me, sorry.”

“Oh c’mon, you know you liked it.”

“Nope. Prefer Vanished.”

“Yeah, okay. Keep telling yourself that, but I honestly think they’re both really good. You think that too, I can feel it.”

“Whatever you say bro.”

He switched the song over to that Grimes song he listened to yesterday, the two of them sitting silently. It was a pleasant afternoon they shared. Suddenly Michael’s phone went off, and he yanked the earbud out.

“Ah shit. I gotta take this. Mandy.”

“Gotcha.”

Trevor grabbed the other earbud, putting it back in. He saw Michael wave his free hand around, looking close to hurling his phone right into the lake. Trevor assumed he must’ve been shouting as well, from the way other people were looking at him. Hanging up not much later, he returned to the bench, as Trevor put his earbuds away.

“Fuckin’ Christ.”

“So.. how’d it go?”

“She’s finally not mad at me anymore, but demanded I go take her shopping now. I swear, she’s gonna clear out my bank account or something.”

“How? You guys aren’t even dating.”

“I know, but I just can’t say no to her.”

“Uh huh.”

“Look, I’m sorry to leave so suddenly, but I really gotta go before she goes back to being pissed at me. See ya around?”

“I’ll be here man.”

Michael stood up, storming away. Seemed like he had a short temper, huh? He wondered to himself how long he was gonna stick around, seeing how Amanda’s dating history was… an extensive list. He thought back to last night, when he had seen that post of them, remembering the fact that no guy stayed for longer than a week. It almost made him bummed, seeing as he only had Ron and Wade for friends. Lester too, but that was on rare occasion. Shit. The plans. What time was it?

“Ah, fuck me.” He muttered. How did he let the day go by so quick?

He shot a text to Wade, telling him to grab Ron and meet at some icecream place. He did promise Wade after all.

Ron ended up meeting them there a little bit later, apologizing profusely before Trevor told him to just sit down and shut up. He did just that, almost apologizing once more.

“Now, let’s get down to business. Who do we know that would help us sneak into that club to cause sheer utter mayhem?”

Ron raised his hand excitedly.

“I could get Floyd maybe-”

“Definite fuckin’ no. He would have a heart attack the minute he set foot in there.”

This was getting nowhere. He tossed his head back to look up at the sky. As he did, he saw a couple walking out of the icecream place.

“Oh fucking hell.”

Was this guy following him or something? He snapped his head forward, trying to be a little more hidden.

“What? Trevor what is it?”

“Shh! Keep your fucking voice down Ron!”

He made all three of them lower their heads as the couple walked away, peeking over his shoulder to make sure they were gone. As he did, he could’ve sworn he saw Michael looking back at him. The both of them turned away as quick as possible from the split second of eye contact.

“Trevor?” Ron repeated.

“It was nothing. Just thought I saw someone.”

“Ain’t that the Michael fella I met today?”

“Nope. Don’t think it is.”

“Are ya sure-”

“Pretty fucking positive. Now, back on topic.”

The next hour or so still went nowhere. Wade had gone through two servings of icecream, and Ron started to get restless. Trevor was just bored.

“Ughhh there has to be something we can do!”

“I don’t know what to tell you Trevor. We’ll find someone, soon. There’s enough time isn’t there?”

“Yeah, but I’m not waitin’ til the last possible fuckin’ second to get a guy to help us out here.”

“But we still have time.”

“If you fuckin’ say so Ron.”

The three of them called it a night, as Trevor tossed around the idea of possibly getting Michael involved in his head. On one hand he wanted to out of spite just to make Amanda and the other hipsters mad, and on the other he didn’t want to screw up whatever new friendship he had started with Michael. Ron did say they had time to find someone soon. They weren’t exactly in a rush, but he still wanted to make sure their plan was concrete. They all went back to Wade’s, Trevor deciding to take a walk along the beach. He threw on the same playlist from earlier, watching the sunset. As he walked, he didn’t pay much mind to where he was going, bumping into someone.

“Ah fuck, watch where you’re going-”

“Shit, sorry man-”

As they spun around from the collision, he realized exactly who he had run into.

“Trevor?”

What the fuck?

“What the fuck? Are you following me or something?”

“Huh?”

“This is the third time I’ve seen you today. What are you even doing here?”

“Uh, it’s a public fuckin’ beach man.” He said, mocking the comment Trevor had made earlier.

“Don’t get smart with me.”

“Hey, I’m just tellin’ you how it is. I didn’t purposely search for you, hell I didn’t even know you lived this way.”

“I do. So make like a tree and fuck off.” He said bitterly.

“Woah, chill the fuck out. What’s your deal? I thought we were cool man.”

“I don’t like being followed.”

“I just told you I wasn’t!”

“It doesn’t exactly seem like it. You just so happen to look for me this morning, and just happen to go to the same icecream place I went, and then I find you here? I mean Jesus-”

“I’m telling you, it’s all purely coincidence.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Fuckin’ hell man..” He mumbled.

“Y’know, you’re as fuckin’ stubborn as Amanda is. I already told you-”

Trevor balled his fists, before jabbing a finger into Michael’s chest.

“Don’t fucking compare me to her.”

Michael threw his hands up defensively, not realizing he touched a nerve.

“Woah woah, easy dude. I didn’t think it was that bad between you guys.”

He exhaled loudly, unclenching his hands.

“It wasn’t. Isn’t. Just.. don’t compare me to her.”

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling hard himself.

“Look, I think you’re cool and all but you can’t flip out on me like that. I mean we are just getting to know each other y’know. I can’t have you wanting to bite my head off like that if I just so happen to keep running into you. I really am just trying to navigate the area better, so forgive me if I came off as some sorta fuckin’ stalker. Amanda went home and I had nothing better to do so I chose to walk over this way.”

“Hmph. Fine. Whatever.”

“So we good?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Now, since we’re already here why don’t we just hangout or something?”

Trevor folded his arms, trying to look like he didn’t want to spend another minute with him. It didn’t really work though, because he actually did want to talk to him more.

“If you insist.”

“Alrighty.”

The two of them started to head in the direction of the boardwalk, neither one speaking yet. After finding a bench to sit on as the sun sunk below the horizon, the silence was still there. This sort of thing was bizarre for both of them in different ways. Michael never really frequented these parts of LS, and Trevor never really hit it off with any kind of stranger. Ron and Wade were exceptions if anything, and he had known Lester for a while now. Yet there was something about this guy that didn’t make him feel like he was spending time with a stranger, even though he knew jack shit about him. He might as well try to make small talk.

“So I-”

“So uhh-”

They spoke over each other while trying to start up a conversation, making things feel a little more awkward.

“Shit sorry, you go first.”

“Nah nah you go.”

“Um. Okay. So.. tell me about yourself? We haven’t really talked about much besides music.”

“Yeah.. right. What do ya wanna know?”

“I just asked you to tell me about yourself, so it’s your job to decide what to say.”

Michael gave him a sardonic smile in response to that, partly because he wasn’t sure what to bring up about himself. It seemed like they were gonna be here a while if they wanted to say the most basic shit you say when getting to know someone.

“Well, I ain’t that interesting if you really need to know. I’m guessing you already know about my whole ‘affinity for the 80s’ thing, like the culture n shit that came from it. Real sick stuff.”

“If you say so.”

“Yeah. Anyway, if you really want to know plain shit about me though, I will tell ya that my favorite color’s blue.”

Trevor snickered at that.

“Pfft, seriously? We’re talking favorite colors now?”

“Hey man, you said you wanted to know more about me.”

“Uh yeah, but that’s so fuckin’ silly.”

“Maybe it is, but what about you? You got one?”

“Favorite color? You kiddin’?”

“I’m waiting..”

“Uh huh… I’ll give. Always liked the color red I guess. Like, in variety. Not picky about something as childish as that.”

“What’s childish about that?”

“Cuz only kids exchange that whole ‘oh what’s your favorite color?’ thing. It’s like if I were to ask you what your favorite dinosaur is.”

“Hmm.. I’d probably say a T-Rex.”

“Oh now you’re just pulling my dick. And no, I’m not telling you what mine is just because you did.”

“Hey, I didn’t ask you though. That was all you.”

“Mm… shut it.”

“You got one though?”

“I’m not telling you!”

“Ah ah, I didn’t ask which one, I asked if you had one.”

“Well I don’t, so knock it off.”

“That’s fair. I won’t push.”

They grew silent for the second time that night, before Trevor mumbled something under his breath.

“It’s a pterodactyl..”

“What was that?”

He forced a breath through his nose, acting annoyed.

“It’s a fuckin’ pterodactyl. That’s mine. Okay?”

“Hah, okay. Any reason why?”

“You’re so nosy.”

“You’re the one who started this conversation about getting to know each other man.”

“Ugh, I know that.” He said, lightly shoving his shoulder.

“I think it’s cool that they could fly and shit. I like flying.”

“You like flying?”

“Loved it.”

“Wait, you tellin’ me you fly? Like, planes and shit?”

Trevor winced at the words, regretting what he just said.

“I did.. at some point. Air Force shit. They said I was one of the best they’d seen in a while but I.. left. Sort of.”

“Then why’d you leave?”

“I didn’t exactly leave on my own accord. More or less got kicked out.”

“How come-”

“I don’t like talking about it. I know we’re opening up or whatever the fuck but that.. that’s still too soon for me to want to bring up. Especially to someone I barely know.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He said, even though it really wasn’t. It’s not like Michael knew though, he really wasn’t trying to prod in a bad way.

It was almost pitch black by the time their conversation got to that point, only distant streetlight and the nearby pier lighting up their surroundings. The whole mood had shifted, and both of them decided to just break it off there.

“Hey uh, I’ll probably see you tomorrow man. If I’m with Amanda I think I’ll just send a wave or something your way.”

“Got it. See ya.”

“Bye.”

Trevor stayed put, watching Michael leave as he turned down a random one way street. This guy was tripping him out and he couldn’t pin point why. It was getting late though, and walked off himself back to Wade’s. He’ll save that vexed question for another night.

//ahhhhhh i rlly did not know what i wanted to do with this….,,., sorry if this wasn’t as good as the first two !! i alrdy know i repeated a bunch of stuff in there and i feel like it got kinda sloppy so again, soz (including typos or whtevr)

but uhhhh anyway yeah i cut it off here bc i wanted to continue some of this shit in the next chapter ig lol,, more stuff to come soon god willing

[nightshade-minho]

-Blue Book- (8)

Warnings: hoo boi.

Word Count: 2k 

"Y/n?" Chan gently shook your shoulder. "Come on baby, you've got to wake up."

You peeled your eyes open, cheeks flushing as you noticed how close Chan's face was to yours.

"Good, you're awake. Listen...I've got to go to the airport and pick up my parents, and your mom was blowing up your phone just a few minutes ago." The corner of his lips twitched in amusement as your phone started vibrating. "Well, there she goes again. Sounds important, you should answer." He straightened up, handing you your phone and heading to the kitchen. "I’ll be making breakfast."

You smiled as he left, expression dropping as you answered your phone.

"Yes, mom...?"

"Oh! My baby! Thank god you answered, finally...I'm so sorry about last night, darling..."

"It's oka-"

"No it wasn't! I'm a terrible mother. I'm sorry, it's just, he was so hot, and I was super intoxicated. We're going to go on a second date! Whose place did you stay at, by the way? A boy answered the phone earlier." She asked, her tone dripping with suggestiveness. You could almost see her wiggling her eyebrows.

"Ew, gross, mom! He's just a friend." You said as Chan came back into the room with a plate of waffles, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure, darling, whatever you say. Although I'm certainly not opposed to you getting laid, it was long overdue anyw-"

"Haha okay, bye mom!" You cut the call, shuddering as Chan giggled, passing you the plate.

"Just a friend? Do friends kiss each other the way we did last night?"

"Shut up." You smiled, digging into your waffles.

***

You watched Chan's car leave as he left for the airport, standing there until he became a speck in the distance before turning around to enter your house.

You found your mom sitting on the couch...but this time, she wasn't passed out with drool running down her chin and clutching a bottle of beer- she was sitting with an odd sense of poise, wearing a pretty summer dress and a huge smile.

"Y/n! You're home! How was your night?" She grinned, winking. You narrowed your eyes, her cheerfulness catching you off guard. Your gaze drifted to the table, on which rested some plates and two empty wine glasses.

"Nowhere near as good as yours." You said pointedly, tearing your gaze away from the table as you moved to go upstairs.

Flopping on your bed, you scrolled through your text messages. Nothing new from Chan. You sighed, reminding yourself that there was probably no Wi-Fi at the airport.

Suddenly your phone dinged with a new text message. Oh. A response to your tutor ad. You'd put it up a long while ago and had honestly forgotten all about it. Well, you definitely needed the extra money. You replied affirmatively to the text and tossed your phone next to you on the mattress.

***

It had been a while since Chan had had dinner with the boys. The conversation was light, and he had missed his friends..however he found himself missing you more, despite having seen you that morning.

"Minho, I don't know how you get away with making out with her in the hallway. I can barely hold hands with my girlfriend without some teacher giving us detention-"

Chan looked up as Felix shoved Changbin's arm, making him stop mid-sentence. Changbin raised an eyebrow, realization dawning on him.

"Ah sorry, Chan. I didn't mean to rub it in."

"Seriously, though." Jisung rolled his eyes. "It's been weeks, and you aren't any closer to getting that book. I hate to say it bro, but I don't think Miyoung would want to be with you even if Minho breaks up with her."

Hyunjin nodded, glancing up from his phone. "I've noticed her and Y/n are really buddying it up. It's girl code not to date your friend's ex."

"Of course, you're the expert on girl code, Hyunjin."

A small squabble broke out and Chan wanted to slither onto the floor and just...stay there. He glared at his plate, deciding he’d had enough.

"Stop it!”

Jisung and Hyunjin stopped talking, staring at Chan in surprise.

"I will get that book soon. I love Miyoung, and I'll make sure she's mine, through any means possible. I don’t care about your opinions, so you guys can just shut the fuck up." He hated lying through his teeth, but there was no way he was going to tell these judgmental burdens he called his friends that he loved you- at least not yet.

Chan relished the silence as he continued eating, trying his best to ignore Minho's burning, inquisitive gaze directed right at him.

***

You sat in bed, clutching your blue book as you tapped your pencil, your head filled with thoughts of Chan. In all your 17 years of life, you'd never known what love felt like...but now you did. And as a result, you were completely consumed with the burning need to tell Chan exactly how you felt.

When you'd moved to this town, you really hadn't expected for it to one day feel like home. But it did, and you were sure it was all because of Chan. His presence somehow made you feel safe, and protected, and you hadn't felt this secure since your dad left you.

You wanted- no, you needed to know if Chan felt the same way about you. You pushed the self-doubt deep inside as you imagined telling him.

You turned red just thinking about it. Fuck it, you were too shy. You'd be a blubbering mess two words in.

Sighing, you looked back down at your book...when an idea struck in your head.

Uncapping your pen with your teeth, you placed the nib on the paper and inhaled, letting all your feelings flow out onto the page. It felt kind of cliché, writing a love letter like this, but you always did have a tendency to over-romanticize everything.

Besides; it was more of a love poem. Gah, was that worse? You hoped to god he wouldn't find it cheesy, especially since you'd bared your heart to him with these words. As you finished, your eyes ran over the last sentence. 

"If you feel the same, please meet me behind the tree near the lake, where we had our first conversation, and where I started falling for you."

You shut the book and placed it on your bedside table, flicking the lamp off and rolling over. You nuzzled your pillow, your mind drifting to last night, the memory of Chan's lips and body pressed against yours still fresh.

***

It was a bit early to be having an ice cream date, but neither of you could honestly care less. As soon as you'd woken up in the morning, Chan had texted you to meet him at the ice cream parlour near his house.

"I can't believe you like salted caramel. Its such an old person flavor." He laughed, staring at you fondly.

"Like mint chocolate is any better." You rolled your eyes.

"Fine fine, let's just accept we have different tastes in ice cream."

You smiled. "That I can get on board with."

There was a comfortable silence as the two of you ate. You glanced up from time to time, your heart pounding as you psyched yourself up. Come on, this was the moment. You can do it, Y/n.

"Hey, Chan...?"

"Mm?" He asked, pausing with the spoon halfway to his mouth.

"Uh...are you free tonight?"

"Tonight? Oh, I'm playing soccer with the guys. You could come watch, though."

"Oh no, I have a tutoring appointment in the evening." You muttered.

Chan quirked his eyebrow. "Why'd you ask in the first place, then?"

"Uh, I just wanted to know. I mean-" You groaned, letting out an exasperated sigh. Bending down, you grabbed your bag from the floor and put it on your lap.

Confused, Chan watched as you pulled out your book, the book, swallowing. Slowly, you slid it over to him.

"I...what's this?" Chan asked as nonchalantly as he could, running a hand through his hair.

"It's...kind of my diary. I just-" you inhaled. "Look, I've bookmarked a page. When you go home- and please don't open it before then- read what I've written." You gulped, as Chan didn't make any move to take the book.

"Look, Y/n, I-"

"Please, just take it. Don't ask any questions." You looked down, trying to hide your flushed cheeks, trying to calm the beating of your heart.

Chan sighed, fingers reaching out and slowly curling over the book as he took it into his hands, tucking it into his pocket as you let yourself smile.

"Thank you."

***

Huh. This was definitely not what you'd been expecting. The house was a lot smaller than you'd imagined it to be, especially knowing how much you were charging.

You breathed in and came forward, knocking on the door and waiting. A few minutes later, a young girl opened it.

"Hi! Are you Dea?"

"How do you know that?" She asks, scrunching her nose, her hand gripping the handle tightly. "Mom says not to talk to strangers."

You shook your head quickly before she could close the door. "Sweetheart, I'm your tutor."

"Prove it."

You sighed, straightening and looking past her. "Is your mom here?"

The girl paused for a second before shaking her head, moving to slam the door closed, when a woman showed up from behind the corner.

"Oh good, it's the tutor!" The woman placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, smiling at you. "Come in, Y/n. I've actually got someplace to be, but I'll be back in two hours. I assume you'll be done by then?"

"Yeah, most probably." You smiled and let her take you in, leading you to Dea's bedroom. The girl herself followed cautiously, and you found yourself a little amused.

"Right, this is her desk." The mom ran a hand through her hair, gesturing to the table. She glanced at her watch and swore, shooting you an apologetic glance.

"In sorry Y/n, I've got to get going soon- please focus on her maths, it's really bad. We'll discuss your fees and other logistics when I get back, okay?" She smiled at you, waving at her daughter before hurrying out the door.

You watched her leave, frowning slowly as she walked away. Something was niggling away at the back of your mind. Why did she look so familiar?

Turning back to the girl, you sighed inwardly at her knitted eyebrows and scowl. She was avoiding your stare, fiddling with her pencil and muttering under her breath.

This was going to be tough.

***

Minho sighed, watching Miyoung wave from the bleachers. Fuck, it was like she was physically incapable of giving him some fucking space.

He glanced over to Chan, clad in his uniform as he chugged water from the bottle Felix handed to him. When was this asshole going to get that fucking book? He couldn't stand having to date Miyoung any longer.

As the girl blew him an exaggerated kiss, Minho decided he had had enough. Needing to be alone, he turned around and went to the locker room. Just a moment to breathe, that was all he was asking for.

As Minho entered the cool, air-conditioned locker room, he let out a sigh of relief. He went over to sit one of the benches, planning to rest in solitude for just a few minutes... until he noticed Chan's clothing lying on one.

His shirt and jeans were carelessly strewn on the seat, and Minho narrowed his eyes as a flash of blue caught his eye, almost immediately.

Peeking out from the pocket was a very familiar looking little blue book.

He came closer, slowly pulling the book out and inspecting it. Could it be? The bastard had your book all along? Opening it, he flipped through the pages with a smirk slowly growing on his face. Yup, it was yours.

It was like the gods were smiling down on him, finally.

[tsarisfanfiction]

Small Things

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen Genre: Family/Hurt/Comfort Characters: Scott, Gordon, Virgil

More self indulgent Scott&Gordon fluff because I can and because this scene’s been living in my head rent-free for the past week or so.  Might be the last thing I write for a while, because uni’s just decided to let me know I need to do 390 hours of independent study for a single module with the deadline in eight weeks, and if you’re any good at maths you’ll realise there’s a problem there (alternatively, stress might drive me to writing loads like January; we’ll see).  There are implications of some level of depression in here, so watch out for that.

When an injury leaves Scott unable to do even the most simple things for himself and accordingly frustrated, it takes a brother who understands what it’s like to halt the slippery slope.

Scott was no stranger to injuries, or the frustration of the recovery period.  He’d broken bones, torn open skin, and endured worse still, but that never made it easier – and definitely not this time.  This time, he was arguably mostly intact, and yet found himself helpless nonetheless.

Burnt palms – both of them, and fingers to boot – meant he couldn’t do even the simplest of tasks by himself.  Couldn’t dress himself, couldn’t eat, couldn’t do anything except wait for them to heal as he watched his brothers keep going out on rescues without him.

His family did what they could, Virgil in particular weathering the storm of his frustrations when they spilled over, but no matter how many little gadgets Brains designed to try and give him at least some independence, the fact still remained that he was useless and helpless.

Virgil was conked out on the couch, dead to the world despite his attempts to stave off exhaustion with caffeine in order to keep Scott company as he watched yet another movie – the only activity he seemed to be able to do without help. He’d wake up later, apologetic for passing out as though he hadn’t been on back-to-back rescues with any downtime swallowed up by fussing over his currently-helpless big brother, but for the moment, Scott was more than happy to let him sleep.

Not only did he need it, but the constant smothering was wearing thin.  Scott was active, self-reliant and tireless.  Even the most well-meaning assistance from Virgil – the one that helped him dress, cut his food, and all the other mundane tasks suddenly beyond his capabilities – was grating.  He’d already snapped at him a few times, the most recent of which had been in response to a suggestion he did his hair, moments before John had called in another rescue and Virgil had had to leave before Scott could swallow down the ire, leaving him wallowing in guilt for several hours until he’d returned, dirty and exhausted but still patiently trying to help.

It was an honest relief to see his brother sleeping, even if it left Scott balled up on his own couch, trying to ignore the bandages wrapped around his hands and focus on the movie. He was failing miserably, all too aware that the healing process was still in the early stages and that it would be several more days before he could even think of using his hands. Even with the regularly-applied gel, they still hurt.

The movie was, in theory, one of his favourites.  Virgil’s choice, after he’d huffed when asked if he wanted to choose.  Right then, he just wanted to turn it off and-

The holoprojection paused, right in the middle of one of his normally-favourite scenes, and he blinked. That hadn’t been his doing. Despite Brains’ best efforts, telekinesis was still eluding him.

“Hey, Scott.”  He turned his head to see Gordon jump down into the den. “Reckon you can do something for me?”

Scott held up his hands, in case Gordon had somehow forgotten.  “No.  Get Alan to help you with whatever it is.”

“Gotta be you, bro,” Gordon insisted, catching his wrists and tugging insistently.  “You don’t need your hands for this.”

Despite himself, Scott found that he was intrigued.  The promise of being able to do something was a powerful allure.  “What is it?”

“C’mon,” Gordon insisted in leu of answering, and warning bells rang even as his younger brother successfully pulled him to his feet.  Agreeing to help before hearing the details was always a no with this particular brother.  His appetite for pranks was insatiable, and sometimes his timing left something to be desired. Scott couldn’t handle a prank. Not right now.

“Gordon, what are you doing?”

“Trust me,” his brother replied.  Two words that often came with warning bells.  Scott knew Gordon, though.  Knew when trust me meant imminent pranking and warned that he should be running, and when he could genuinely trust whatever plan his brother had concocted. This was the latter, full sincerity with a hint of a plea behind it.

Trust was important in their family.  It had to be, for International Rescue to work.  Gordon knew that as well as any of them, and when he used that voice, it was always true.  Whatever he had planned, he believed it wouldn’t negatively impact Scott.

He sighed, and let his shoulders sag, feeling the tension start to seep away.  “Where are we going?”

Gordon’s hand was steady at the small of his back, guiding him gently through the house.  Towards the bedrooms, and Scott stumbled to a halt when Gordon stopped outside his room.  Of all the places he expected, his own bedroom was near the bottom of the list. “Gordon?”

“Come on, bro,” Gordon coaxed, opening the door and nudging him through it.  Scott let him, still confused, and found himself guided to his bed.  “Sit.”

Eyeing his brother, and still completely lost as to what he was planning, Scott obeyed.  His bandaged, useless, hands rested in his lap, and he glared down at them before glancing back up to see that Gordon had left his side and was rummaging around in his bathroom.

“Hey!”  What was he doing?

“Easy, Scott,” Gordon called back, turning around and returning.  In his hands were Scott’s comb and hair gel, two items that hadn’t seen the light of day since his hands got burnt so badly they couldn’t hold either.

Scott didn’t appreciate the reminder that, despite Virgil’s pleading, his hair was a sorry mess.

“What are you doing with those?” he demanded, starting to stand.  A hand on his shoulder stopped him, and he found himself looking up into compassionate amber eyes.  Gordon gave him a small smile, barely a twitch of his lips but in that moment, it hit harder than his usual exaggerated expressions.

“Relax,” he said, clambering onto the bed and settling somewhere behind Scott.  Attempts to turn his head were prevented by gentle hands, keeping him facing forwards.  “I’ve got you.”

Scott’s mind was scrambling to work out what his brother had planned, and how this came into him doing anything for Gordon, but before he could finish putting the facts together there were gentle fingers in his hair, carding through softly and pulling wayward strands back from his face.

His immediate instinct was to pull away – he let his brothers do a lot, but his hair had always been off-limits, in no small part because it was an obvious target for Gordon and dye, but also just because it was.  Even now, he’d refused to let Virgil touch it.

“Gordon-” he started, and the fingers retreated, only for arms to wrap around his shoulders from behind. Soft, comforting, and a far cry from the crushing squid hugs his water-loving brother loved to dish out. A weight against his back, and then a cheek pressed against his.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw strawberry blond hair, and amber eyes looking at him.

“Let me do this?” his brother asked, in that exact same tone he’d used earlier for trust me. Sincere, but a little pleading.

“Why?”  His voice cracked, an unexpected show of weakness, and he flinched.  Gordon didn’t acknowledge it, seemingly content to let him pretend it didn’t happen.

“I think it’ll help,” he murmured instead.  “Please?”

Help who?

Scott didn’t see how letting Gordon do his hair would help anyone.  It wouldn’t heal the burns any faster, wouldn’t give him back his independence any sooner.

But he’d never been able to say no to a brother when they asked like that, all quiet and sincere.

“Don’t mess it up,” he caved, looking away.  He felt Gordon’s smile against his cheek anyway.

“Thanks, Scott.”

The arms retracted slowly, the cheek also leaving his, and he felt the mattress dip as Gordon shuffled back into position behind him.

Then the fingers were back in his hair, teasing out the tangles and knots that had formed with infinite patience and care.  The motions were soothing in their repetitiveness, Gordon’s fingers dexterous and nimble as they preened out the worst of the mess, and despite himself Scott felt a little more tension bleed away.

Fingertips found his scalp and dragged across lightly, almost a massage, for a few brief moments, before retreating entirely.

Then it was the teeth of his comb, running through strands slowly but steadily and pausing whenever they nudged a tangle Gordon’s fingers hadn’t completely erased.  Those, the comb bit into lightly, coaxing and cajoling the strands and never once tugging at his scalp.

Scott had no idea where Gordon had learnt to be so gentle with hair.

There was no mirror in view from where he was sat, but Scott didn’t need one to feel the weight of his hair slowly shifting, leaving its unkempt and chaotic tragedy and falling into the familiar style he favoured.  Without gel, the strands at the front attempted to flop forwards, over his forehead, and he resisted the instinct to swipe them back.

His hands wouldn’t thank him, and the hair would inevitably get tangled in the bandages, but what actually stopped him was the sensation of Gordon interchanging comb with fingers as he continued to smooth the hair back until it fell just right.  Gordon had asked to do this, and despite his initial misgivings, Scott found he was enjoying it.  No-one had done his hair for him since he was a kid, Mom fussing and asserting her right as his mother to do so.  Not like this.

Distracted by sudden memories, he missed the moment the comb left his hair for good, and startled slightly when the cool sensation of gel seeped through his hair.  Gordon had returned to using his fingers, smoothing his hair into position with a precision no doubt born of seeing it so many times, and Scott closed his eyes.

The touches steadily grew lighter, lingering for longer and ghosting over what were presumably stray strands that needed a little more gel to keep in place, until they left all together.

He opened his eyes as the mattress shifted, turning his head to see Gordon slipping off the bed, rubbing his hands with a towel to get the gel off his fingers.  Amber eyes surveyed his hair sharply, before Gordon gave another small, tender smile.

“Come on, bro.”  Hands cradled his wrists, carefully away from the bandages, and drew him to his feet.  “Now you get to judge my work.”

Scott let Gordon lead him to his bathroom, where the mirror hung above the sink.  It was something he’d avoided looking at for the past few days, aware of his deteriorating hair yet unable to fix it and unwilling to let anyone else until Gordon wormed his way in with softly pleading sincerity, but a light nudge over the threshold had him reluctantly facing his reflection.

He looked like himself.

There were still bags under his eyes from the sleepless nights, and his skin was still pale and a little haunted, but his hair was gelled back just the way he liked it – the way he laboured over it every day even when he forwent other aspects of self-care because he didn’t have time – and while it was only one thing, it was enough to banish the unkempt shadow he’d become and replace it with something blessedly familiar.  Blessedly normal.

Unconsciously, his back straightened, leaving him standing tall once again.

Gordon’s reflection joined his, standing alongside him as a hand rested on his shoulder.

“Any better?” his brother asked, worry in his eyes.  Scott tore himself away from his reflection to look down at the flesh-and-blood young man next to him.

“Yeah,” he admitted.  “Gords- what-?”

“When everything goes to hell, it’s the small things that make the difference,” Gordon said.  The reminder was bittersweet – Gordon, too, had once been unable to do even the most basic of tasks unaided.  “It helped me.  I thought it was worth a try for you.”

A sense of normality amongst an ocean of uncertainty.  Something to hold onto when he had nothing else.

Scott raised his arm, resting it lightly around Gordon’s shoulders.

“Thank you,” he murmured, looking back at the mirror where the man that looked much more like himself stood, arm around his little brother.  In hindsight, it was obvious; a lack of self-care was a slippery slope – one he’d seen Gordon fight before.

“I know you’d rather do it yourself,” Gordon continued.  “But remember, we’re here to help you.”  The hand on his shoulder squeezed for a brief moment.  “You just have to let us.”

Gordon looked relieved, Scott realised.  He hadn’t noticed how worried his younger brother had been until it was gone, but the story was there, behind smiling eyes and a steadily growing grin on his face.

“Thanks,” he said again. There was nothing else he could say.  Nothing that properly appreciated what his brother had done for him.  Was offering to keep doing, if Scott was reading him right.

He was usually pretty accurate when it came to reading his brothers.

“Could-” he started, mouth ahead of his brain.  “Could you-” He couldn’t quite get the words out, instincts still rebelling against asking for help – asking for this – despite it being freely offered.

“Keep doing it for you until you can do it yourself again?”  Luckily – in this particular instance – Gordon could read him, too.  Scott nodded jerkily.  “Of course.”

The hand on his shoulder moved, arm reaching around him until Gordon had him in a half-embrace.

“Welcome back, big bro.”

If Virgil had any thoughts about Scott letting Gordon help when he’d been refused at every offer, he kept them firmly to himself when he was woken by the pair of them returning to finish the movie.  Scott did, however, find himself subject to a bear hug, and relieved brown eyes looking him over.

In hindsight, it was obvious Virgil had seen what was happening all along, and Scott regretted getting snappy with him about it.  Virgil waved off his apologies, but did consent to go and get some proper sleep in his bed as long as Gordon promised not to leave him alone while he did.

The insinuation that he needed a minder should have grated.  Would have grated, half an hour before, when he was still a miserable mess curled up in the corner of a couch.  But as Gordon promised, solemn sincerity that Virgil could trust, and settled more comfortably on the couch with his arm around his shoulders, Scott just found himself thankful for how much his brothers cared.