#but uh yeah i guess i'll get into that properly sooner or later

[seaofreverie]

So I actually finished listening to the whole Sparks studio album discography today, with Plagiarism, which I probably would have put off still for an indefinite amount of time, but since that was the last album on the list and the new Sparks era is now imminent... felt fitting to sort of finally listen to that. So I've been thinking of making a (short-ish? lol) post and talking a (little? lol) bit about all the albums I've left off from my Sparkstember writeups because I wasn't familiar enough with them yet at the time. So that the essay collection is completed at last yay. But well yeah, big day I guess, I'm officially all caught up, after... A year and 10 months?! I take my time with things... even if I'm super into them, or maybe especially??

[imagine--if]

E. Nashton

A/N: Here you go, I promised, I hope you like it 😅💚 I think I'll do a part two of him confessing later, maybe disguising himself as The Riddler cus he's still a little shy 🥺️

Words: 1069

Everyone at work is the same. Quite loud and obnoxious, money-makers, party-goers, busy professionals. As professional as you can get in a city like Gotham, anyway. You just wanted to make enough money to have as easy a life as you could bargain for in this place, or maybe save up to move somewhere else. For now, though, you're stuck in the same office building, checking over the same papers sent up by the forensics accountants team downstairs.

But there's one employee down there who's just as quiet and polite as you try to be. You probably wouldn't have noticed him, just like his peers, if it wasn't for seeing his name signed in a rather odd style of handwriting at the top of a folder of pages full of numbers.

"Might be something to do with money laundering, I reckon," Zach tells you with a proud smirk, the man who sends the files up. "It's a good job we caught it, right?"

"Yeah, it's really good," you respond with a grateful smile, flipping through the pages absentmindedly. Your thumb stops under a top corner, and you study it, noticing the name. E. Nashton.

"And... this is your work?" you ask him with a slightly raised brow, Zach shrugging in answer.

"Well. No. The, uh, one of the guys did some of it, but I brought it to the team's attention and all. Obviously."

"Yeah, nice work, Zach," you agree, which does the trick, and he leaves smugly, going back downstairs and saying something to a man who seems startled when Zach thumps him a couple of times on the shoulder, in a friendly sort of way. You watch in interest, wondering if it's the E. Nashton written on these papers. Clear-framed glasses are pushed up the man's nose, and curious green eyes peer from behind them, delicate strands of sandy brown hair framing his round face. The face that looks defeated and mildly frustrated by the time Zach's left.

You frown to yourself, glancing at the work that's ordered perfectly and ready to send to your boss. No one else here puts the same level of effort into their work. Zach's probably told the poor guy that he's gotten all the credit. Maybe you could talk to him? It's just a word of encouragement from a colleague, right?

As everyone finishes their projects at the end of the day, you grab your things and head downstairs, weaving your way between people pushing at doors to get home. You only just catch the man you'd seen earlier, tapping him gingerly on the shoulder. But even that seems to surprise him, and he flinches, whirling round to face you with a wide-eyed expression. His cheeks flush when his eyes take you in properly, but you don't notice, apologising awkwardly.

"Hi- oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's alright," he breathes, scarcely blinking, and you nod slowly at the reaction.

"Um, okay, well, I just wanted to thank you for the work that went up. It was all written really clearly, and I don't think I'll have to do much before it's sent off. It's nice to see someone putting more than the bare minimum in what they do, I guess. Kind of makes my job a bit easier, too."

Edward looks at the folder in your hands, then back up at you.

"I thought... Zach said-"

"Yeah, I know he sent it up and commissioned the work, that's... great," you say, not bothering to hide the slight tone of sarcasm, and a fond smile tugs at Edward's lips in response. "But you did it. So, thanks."

"W-well... you're most welcome," Edward says happily, almost giddily, and you smile back in amusement.

"Cool. It was nice talking to you. Edward?"

He nods quickly. "Yes, I- I'm Edward."

You reply with your name and a half-smile, Edward repeating it like it's something fascinating. You observe him for a moment; a little odd, but kind of sweet. You should have spoken to him sooner.

"See you around, then."

He seems somewhat disappointed as you take a step back, your hand lingering on the doorhandle that leads outside, but says goodbye anyway with a small smile and a watchful stare. You look away first, going off in the direction of your home, the interaction replaying in your head vaguely as you let yourself into your apartment.

Nice guy. There aren't many people like that in Gotham. Maybe you could chat again soon?

And then the thought's replaced with the next thing that nags for your attention.

...

Meanwhile, a man goes mad behind his laptop.

Square pictures are pulled up onto the screen from various social media sites, and Ed can't help but smile back at your naturally happy expressions in every one. It seemed so easy for everyone to be so happy and carefree. He wasn't everyone.

But then, neither were you.

Someone noticed him. No one ever notices him. And his boss was so quick to dismiss the scheme he had bought up, practically threatening his job for poking his nose in. Zach just likes every bit of praise he can get, and he gets far too much of it. But not this time. For once, somebody praised him. You praised him.

"You're so lovely," he whispers adoringly into the solitude of his apartment, the blue-white glare of the laptop reflecting in his glasses.

A part of Edward finds himself such a creep, so disgusting and wrong and alone, especially for stalking a pretty young workmate he'd only met half an hour ago. But no one ever spoke to him unless they had to. You didn't have to. But there you were, bright eyes and sweet words, appreciating justice as much as he does, and not letting the darker cases go like any corrupt citizen would.

He'd keep watching. He'd give it, what, a week or two? Just to be sure he wasn't mistaken, though he was almost certain he wasn't. That you really were some sort of beacon that stood out to him, company he liked at work, could fantasize clearly about at home. And then...

Then what? Blurt it out to you? Scare you off? No. Too risky. He could almost hear the pity and confusion in your voice with a rejection. E. Nashton was nearly as confident and important as he wanted to be...

...but The Riddler was.

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[jaycewrites-192000]

Growl: Chapter 5

Warnings: None

Tags: @theravencawsatmidnight @etroman

Your P.O.V

I wasn't really feeling class today, well at least one of them, and the worst on in my opinion. So I decided to hide out in the gym, none of the team would be there this early in the day so it was perfect. I walked into the gym, not expecting to see Kyotani, he was practicing alone. "W-what are you doing here?" I curse myself for shuttering like I did. Kyotani turned to me, the same angry expression on his face. "Didn't feel like going to class." He tells me before going back to what he was doing. "Oh, guess the same goes for me." I say as I stepped into the gym and closing the door. "Do you want me to pass you a few?" I might as well do something while I hide from class. "Sure." Kyotani tossed me the volleyball, much lighter than he normally would. I was sure it would knock the wind out of me as well as break a rib if he threw it at his normal speed.

I try my best to remember how to properly serve a volleyball, but while doing so I mess up, and the ball went lopsided and way off track. Kyotani chuckled before picking up the ball. "Sorry..." I rub the back of my neck. 'His laugh is cute...' I think, feeling my cheeks turn red. "I never even touched a volleyball until recently. Maybe you can show me how it's done? But like, not the whole slapping the air out of the ball." I giggle. "Right. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it." Kyotani holds the ball up. "Watch carefully." He tosses the ball up and hits it over the net as soon as it was in line with his hand. After a few more tries, I finally got it down. "Whoa! I actually did it!" Why did I get so hyped about that? It's just a ball and a net. But, it felt strangely rewarding. I turned to Kyotani, who's harden expression lightened a bit. I suddenly felt the awkwardness close in. "So uh, why did you skip class?" I asked. Kyotani shrugged. "Just didn't feel like going. What about you?"

"I didn't like the class I had. It was really boring." I tell him. Kyotani hummed in response. God I hate this, don't kill the conversation you idiot! Say something, anything! "Do you have a dog? I remember you said you liked them?" I question. "Shiba. His name is Killer." Well, I was wrong about the intimidating dog part, by the name makes up for it. "I wish I had a dog. My mom doesn't really allow dogs in our house, she says they make things messy." Kyotani looked less than pleased by that, I couldn't blame him. Dogs did make things messy sometimes but everything else about them made up for it. "You...you can come over to my place, to see my dog that is...If you want." Kyotani murmurs. I could have sworn I saw a tiny blush on his face. My heart did a flip. "O-ok! That sounds nice." I smile. The sound of the bell interrupted the nice moment we were having. With a sigh I grab my bag. "I should get going. I have class with Iwaizumi next." Kyotani nods. "I wouldn't make him angry if I were you." He says. "Right? He'll have my head if he finds out I'm skipping." I laugh. "Well, uh-"

"I'll come get you after class." Kyotani cuts me off. I smile softly and nod. "Ok, I'll be waiting." With that, I left the gym. The entire walk to class I couldn't stop thinking about Kyotani. My heart just wouldn't stop thumping. "I can't believe I have a crush on him."

"Have a crush on who L/n-Chan~?"

"Ah! Shittykawa don't sneak up on me like that!" I snap. "And I don't have a crush on anyone, dummy." I mutter. "That's a lie! Come on, tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell meeeee!"

"No! Shut up!"

"Oh wait! L/n-Chan~.Could it be you have feelings for me after all?" Oikawa smirks.

"Not if your life depended on it." I growl. "Now leave me alone or I'll have Iwaizumi beat your ass." I walked into class. "Keep lying to yourself L/n-Chan. You can't hide from your true feelings!"

"Iwaizumi!!"

"No wait, I take it back! I take it back!!"

Normal P.O.V

You waited by the school gates for Kyotani, still your heart was beating wildly at the thought of walking with him to his home. While it was a nice feeling, the feeling of liking someone, it was also scary. You weren't sure if this was such a good idea deep down, sure you've had crushes when you were a kid, but never on this level. What if he didn't feel the same? You would end up getting your hopes up just for your heart to be broken. What was it about Kyotani that made you want to chase this feeling? You've only known him for a little while, and yet you've fallen for him. "I guess I'll find out." You say aloud. "Find out what?" You turn to see Kyotani, his school bag slung over his shoulder. "Uh, find out how I'm going to convince my mom to let me get a dog." You lie. He seemed to have bought it, as he didn't press you further. Oikawa could learn a lot from him. "You ready?" He asks. "Yep." You smile walking beside him. Once again, the walk was silent. You didn't know what to say, your mind was swarming with different thoughts, you couldn't focus on just one. You stole a few glances from Kyotani, handsome as always. And like always, you couldn't tell what was on his mind. It was like he was annoyed by everything all the time, why was he always so on edge? So angry?

"You know." You started. "The first time I saw you, I thought you were going to murder me." Kyotani glances at you curiously. "You looked so furious that I bumped into you, and...you growled? What was up with that?" You asked. "...I do that sometimes...a bad habit." He says under his breath. "Oh. Well, I guess it fits your nickname. Mad Dog." Kyotani nods. "Yeah. Guess so." You look up and notice the way you two were walking. "Hey, I live by here." You say. "Just a few houses down."

"Oh yeah? I live just down the street from there. Guess we lived close to each other this whole time." Kyotani shrugs. "I wonder why I never saw you."

"Yeah same."

Fuck this was awkward.

Your P.O.V

We made it there sooner than we thought, thank god. Kyotani was right, he only lived a short way away from me. "We're here." Kyotani takes out his keys unlocking his door before stepping in. "My mom won't be back until later today." I followed in after him and took a second to admire the interior of the house. It was pretty decent. Not less than a second later, I heard the sound of rapid tapping. It was getting closer and closer. Barking followed my ears as a shiba dog ran up to me. I braced myself invade he would pounce on me, but instead he just stood before me and wagged his tail. He barked again, wanting my attention. "Take it easy Killer." Kyotani pet his head. Killer licked Kyotani's hand a few times and barked again. "This is Killer? But he's so sweet!" I crouched down to his height. Killer sniffed at my hand before licking it. "Don't let that fool you. Killer can be a cold blooded canine." I couldn't tell if he was joking or not, either way, this dog was adorable. "Aw, who's a cute little beast? Huh?" I pet his fluffy cheeks, Killer barks in response as if he were answering me. "Yeah! It's you boy!" I giggle.

Normal P.O.V

Kyotani watches as you continue to fawn over his dog. He had to admit. It was pretty cute...but really he meant you were pretty cute. And it was weird. Not weird that you were pretty cute. Weird because, he's never cared enough to think of someone as pretty or cute. "So uh, since you're here, you wanna like, do something? I invited you over after all." Kyotani puts his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. You look up from Killer. "Oh uh, sure." You stand back up and straighten out your skirt. "What did you have in mind?"

"Follow me." Kyotani walks further into the house and up the stairs, you and Killer followed. He lead you to his room, inside, was exactly what you thought it would look like. There were some pink posters here and there, his bed was a little messy, and was that a bass guitar in the corner of his room? "You play bass?" You questioned. "Yeah, occasionally." Kyotani walked over to his desk and played some music, it was a little loud from the last time he played it. He turned it down enough for you both continue talking. Kyotani then went to his bed and flopped down on it, his arms behind his head. Killer jumped on his bed and laid down. "Come on, stop standing there and sit down."

"O-oh right." You walked over to his bed and sat next to him. "Sorry for being so weird. I just, never thought that you would be so opened to me. I really thought you hated me." Kyotani kept his eyes on the ceiling. "I abs not opened up to you. Trust me." He eyed you. "And I didn't hate you, but yeah, this is a little weird. I didn't think I would befriend you this easily. I don't do that often, as you can imagine."

"What about the guys on the team?" You asked. "I tolerate them." Kyotani mutters, his face scrunched up in disgust. You giggled. "So you must really tolerate me to let me into your home, huh?" Kyotani turns his head away from you, he was silent for a moment before letting out a quiet. "Sure." You smile softly and leaned back until you were laying in your back like him. "So I've been wondering. Why do you respect Iwaizumi so much? Other than him just being your senior. He's not even the captain, and yet you listen to him more than Oikawa."

"Iwaizumi...he's cool I guess. He's good at a lot of things, he proved it to me when I challenged him." He answers. "And Oikawa is just stupid."

"Couldn't agree more!" You laugh. Kyotani laughed along with you. You turn your head towards him. "You're pretty cool to, Kyotani." Kyotani clicked his tongue. "Whatever. I should be saying that to you, you're my senior too you know?" You chuckled. "Yeah but, I haven't done anything that special. I hand out towels, and you play a sport. And you play it well too."

Kyotani finally met your gaze, all seriousness present in his eyes. "If we didn't have you, our team would be a hot mess. You're like...the team mom I guess? You keep everything in check, and that's pretty cool." You felt your cheeks turn red. "O-oh. Thanks Kyotani." You stutter. "I mean it. Thanks for being out manager L/n." There it goes again, your heart beat getting louder. It was driving you crazy. Not to mention you both were only a few inches apart, you could really see every detail of Kyotani's face. His intense golden eyes, his flawless tan skin, his perfect jawline. He wasn't just looks either. In this moment, he made you feel really special. When you first met him, you never thought that he could be this nice to someone. It was like everything about him was so...perfect.

"Kyotani..." You say softly, leaning ever so closer to him. You watched him carefully, making sure he was comfortable with what you were doing. It seemed so, as he didn't pull away from you. Just as your lips were about to brush against his own, the door to his room opened. "Kentaro, I thought I told you to take out the trash while I was gone-Oh!" A older woman who resembled Kyotani was standing in the doorway. You and Kyotani both sat up quickly. "My my, is this a new friend of yours?" The woman smirked.

"Ma!" Kyotani yelled. "I told you know before coming into my room!" His face was bright red. "Oh hush. Introduce this young lady." Kyotani rolled his eyes. "She's my senior, L/n Y/n." He mutters. "Nice to meet you young lady." Kyotani's mom smiles. "You call me Kaori."

"N-nice to meet you too." You nod. "I'm so glad my son actually made a friend, and your so pretty too! Proud of ya boy!" Kaori laughs. "I swear to god..." Kyotani murmurs. "How would you like to stay for dinner Y/n?"

"Oh, that sounds nice but, my mother is expecting me to be home tonight. Maybe next time?" Kaori gives you a thumbs up. "Sounds like a plan. Don't forget to invite her over next time Kentaro. And walk her home, it's getting late."

"Yeah yeah. Sure." Kyotani gets up. You followed Kyotani out of his room, his mom silently cheering her son on.

Kyotani had walked you home, which was only a short way from his own home. "I had a good time. Thanks again Kyotani." You give him a soft smile. "Yeah. It was problem. And sorry about my mom she can be really pushy, you don't have to come over again if you don't want to." You shook your head. "No it's fine. I'd like to come over again, uh if that's ok with you of course."

"It's cool with me." Kyotani said with a slight nod. "Sounds like a plan then. Well, I'll see you later. Goodnight."

"Night."

You waved before walking into your home. You sighed heavily as you lean back against the door. "Holy shit, I'm in love..."

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