#darling café collab

[writerfrog]

Male Snow person OC - Darling café collab

Sorry to those who were hoping this is a Abraxas fic update, I'm working on pt 3 as best I can. This took lot of time and effort for a man who was just created because my brain finally hit a corner. Made in pixil art (OC) and 3d paint (combining ID with OC, his info was typed) that was on my laptop already. I am not an artist, but I had fun.

@2-dsimp meet Blake Frost (no relation to Jack Frost or Frosty the snowman no matter what he says/jokes)

[rockstarhaechan]

nct dream getting caught making out | collab

pairing: nct dream x fem!reader

warnings: smut, public making out, alcohol, steamy shower make out, mention of length and moaning, butt touching

note: this is a collab with @fullsunstrawberry <3 love you darling muahh <3

rockstarhaechan

fullsunstrawberry

mark:

marks arms were wrapped around you, pushing you against the wall.

“mark what if someone comes in?” you mumbled in between the kiss, hands tangled up in his hair.

he suddenly looked at you, stroking your hair out of your face tugging a strand of hair behind your ear.

“baby no one is gonna come in, don’t you trust me?” he blurred out before pulling you back into a kiss, tongues playing with each other, while his hand found the way to your waistband of your skirt.

you could swear that you heard a knock on the door, but quickly turned your attention back to mark.

right as his hand slipped under your skirt someone opened the door and stepped in.

“what the fuck are you guys doing here” you looked at a mad chenle who’s arms are crossed in front of him, standing right next to the two of you.

helplessly staring down at the floor, feet shifting every now and then until mark finally spoke up.

“see it’s not what it looks like chenle” he scratched his neck, practically staring into chenle’s soul.

“i caught you two making out, bro what about ‘we are just friends’ “ he quoted while looking at you and mark.

being clearly embarrassed by what just happened but returning back to you signaling you to leave.

“we’re gonna talk about this later” mark just told you before you left the room leaving him alone with chenle.

renjun:

sitting in the corner of your favorite café, renjun beside you.

you two decided to grab some cake and coffee as celebration for you getting accepted into your new job.

“renjun should we wait for the others to arrive before ordering or are you going to order for them?” you asked him before turning your attention back to the waiter who was patiently waiting for your order.

“i’ll have an iced americano and a tangerine cake please” you told the waiter your order, and zoomed out when renjun told his drinks and snacks to the waiter.

“baby are you listening?” he grabbed your wrist gently, carefully pulling you on his lap.

no one was able to see the two of you cause you’ve been sitting in the very back of the café.

“renjun what are you doing” you let out a little laugh but before he even answered your question you suddenly felt his lips on yours.

his hands, traveling up your spine, yours resting on his chest.

your make out session was about five minutes long until someone behind you started talking.

“why in the middle of a café, can’t you guys get a room?” jeno asked the two of you.

“oh fuck” you mumbled, quickly sitting back on the bench, tugging your hair behind your ear acting clueless.

“well we ordered for you guys” you blurred out trying to cool down the situation.

“should’ve ordered a room for you guys” you heard jeno say quietly.

jeno:

protective boii

He knows that he would never be able to get you alone with a dorm full of men. Especially not in his bedroom.

The only place they didn't bother him in was the shower

it took a little bit of convincing but his hands on your body washing all the body soap off you was definitely worth it

"wait I think I missed a spot" His hand came up to your face and rubbed his thumb against your lips

"I knew this wasn't just an innocent shower" you giggled, already closing your eyes waiting for him to kiss you

when he did you stumbled a little bit, resulting in Jeno putting his arms around you and holding you against him

you felt his hardening length pressed on your body as his gaze traveled down your figure, taking in every curve. You felt shivers as you met his intense gaze

He leaned in again, his lips meeting yours in a passionate kiss

His hands roamed over your body, exploring every inch of you.

You responded eagerly, running your fingers through his wet hair. The water from the shower cascaded around you

Right as your hands were making its way down his body, following the drops of water, a loud scream startled you both

Jeno quickly hid your body with his own while looking back to see who ruined the moment

Chenle stood there eyes widened In horror

“Get out before I gouge your eyeballs out!”

Chenle ran out of the bathroom screaming about how he just needed to brush his teeth

“You scared him!”

“HE SAW YOU NAKED!!”

jaemin:

This boy would not care at all! Instead, he would put on a show,,

“Come here princess” he called out with a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, no kissing tonight! The guys are here"

Jaemin did not get why you cared.

Pulling you onto his lap and letting his hand rest on your check "Baby, everyone knows not to disturb us"

You couldn't help but smile at his charm, giving in to his playful demands.

Jaemin saw your body relax and started pressing small kisses to your neck

As Jaemin's lips brushed against your neck, a shiver traveled down your spine. His touch was always electrifying.

You closed your eyes, allowing yourself to submit to the sensation, forgetting about everything else at that moment.

You could still hear the sound of laughter and chatter from the living room but you didn't care anymore, pulling his face away from your neck to finally meet his lips.

As you tangled your fingers in his hair, a soft moan escaped from his lips

"Let's take this off" He groaned, breaking the kiss to pull off your shirt

Not wasting any time he hungrily reconnected your lips. His hands explore every inch of your exposed skin.

You were so focused on Jaemin that you didn't even hear the door open

Jaemin's movements were swift and precise, his arms wrapping around your waist as he flipped you over with ease. He positioned himself on top of you, his body covering yours possessively.

"Don't just stand there! leave or join," his voice laced with arrogance and a bit of humor

Jaemin didn't bother to look up at whoever had entered the room. Instead, his eyes remained fixated on yours, filled with an intensity that sent a rush of heat through your veins.

haechan:

haechan invited you to one of his house parties with the rest of nct dream.

whenever he is at their dorm they usually throw a little party together while casually drinking a little bit.

after a while you started to get a little tipsy and everyone decided to play truth or dare.

haechan was the first one to spin the bottle and just to your surprise it landed on you.

“doll, truth or dare?” he questioned before you decided to go with truth.

“okay, is it true that you have a crush on me?” not knowing what to say you started to look around for help, but noticed that no one of the boys was going to help you so you’re stuck with this one.

“hm maybe, why don’t you find it out?” trying to sound confident about your answer but indirectly asking yourself if it was confident enough for them not to notice your huge ass crush on haechan.

you’re by now pretty wasted, it’s been an additional hour and you’re currently in the middle of the kitchen, looking for something normal to drink.

“where do these boys have their soda” you slurred out while looking into the different cabinets.

“whatcha lookin’ for” haechan hummed while grabbing your waist from the back, making you groan a little.

his hands slowly started to grip your waist tighter as you continued to look for a soda.

“babe” he called out, making you turn around.

“what did you just call me haechan?” looking into his eyes as you tried to get out of his grip.

not because he made you uncomfortable or anything else but because you didn’t know if you could resist him.

haechan noticed that you wanted to get away, so he pulled you even closer.

“i know you have a crush on me, why are you trying to run away now?” not being able to get a word out until you finally wanted to talk.

“i-i don’t-“ stuttering and stumbling over your own words when haechan cut you off by kissing you passionately.

picking you up without hesitation and placing you down on the kitchen counter before he started to kiss you again.

softly moaning into the kiss until you heard someone clearing their throat at the kitchen door.

haechan immediately broke the kiss and looked at the door, an impatient expression seen on mark and jisung’s face.

“we thought we should check up on you two since you’ve been missing for quite some time now, but guess you had something important to discuss” jisung said grossed out before turning around and dragging mark with him.

“can we continue now?” was the only thing haechan said before kissing you again and turning it into a heated make out session.

chenle:

He says it's your fault it happened because you looked too damn good!

He's been very busy, so he invited everyone to hang out...playing basketball

You protested at first but came around to the idea after he gave you his puppy dog eyes...how are you supposed to say no to them!!

You made sure to sneakily take one of his jerseys from his closet.

Showing up earlier than the guys just to get Chenle's reaction

"You ready to lose?"

Before he could say a sassy remark he turned to face you, mouth opening in shock

"You okay?" you laughed walking closer to him "You know exactly what you're doing" He smirked wrapping his arms around you.

"Even picked the one with my name" he whispered into your ear.

"You're my favorite"

"Good" He finally closed the distance between you two by pulling you from your hips and pressing his lips against yours

You pulled away before he could deepen the kiss, "We can't, the guys are going to be here soon"

"We got here early" he whined, looking at your lips before kissing you again. But this time he was in a rush, sliding his tongue into your mouth and letting his hands dig into your waist

The door to the court swung open, and the sound of laughter and chatter filled the room. You both jumped apart, trying to compose yourselves as the guys filed into the basketball court one by one.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Jaemin asked a mischievous glint in his eyes. He nudged Chenle playfully. "Did you guys start without us?"

Chenle cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact with his friends. "Nah, we were just...practicing our moves."

Donghyuck raised an eyebrow, smirking knowingly. "Sure, sure. Practice makes perfect, I guess."

jisung:

This poor, poor baby… He doesn't even give you public affection, he might literally wither away if caught.

"The guys said they were going out," Jisung smirked, his fingers lacing through yours as he pulled you closer to him.

"How did you get out of this one?" You asked, playfully raising an eyebrow.

"Said I had more important things to do," Jisung replied, his arm wrapping around your waist.

"So I'm more important?" You couldn't help but tease him

Jisung smirked “Let me show you just how important you are”

Jisung closed the distance between you two, trapping you against the wall

The cool surface pressed against your back grounded you in the intensity of the moment. As his hands found their way to cradle your face, deepening the kiss

Your fingers tangled into his hair, eliciting a small moan from him. Taking advantage of his parted lips, you eagerly explored his mouth with your tongue

Not wanting to give up dominance, Jisung's hands roamed over your body, sending shivers down your spine as he stopped at your butt and gave it a playful squeeze

Lost in the moment, neither of you heard the door opening until a gasp filled the room.

Both of you tensed up and widened your eyes in realization...

"MY EYES!" Jaemin screamed in shock

Instead of pushing you away and hiding, Jisung hid his face into your neck and giggled

“I thought they would be gone”

[isadollie]

break a leg! • chigiri hyoma

★ telling someone to "break their leg" before an important event is supposed to bring them luck; but this time luck wasn't on your side.

★ this fic is a part of an amazing summer olympics collab by @tetzoro !! i'm so happy i'm able to take part in it 🫶 i had a lot of fun writing it!:3

"it's such a pretty city!" you sighed gently, your head resting against your boyfriend's shoulder. chigiri followed your gaze and smiled. "i told you, didn't i?"

the two of you were seated in a cute café, observing the busy streets of paris through the big window next to your table.

you looked into his eyes with a tiny smile. "you don't seem too stressed." he simply shrugged, pulling you a bit closer. "stress won't help me anyway. besides, you're here with me so i'm sure it will be fine." he pressed a gentle kiss on your forehead.

of course you were there with him. how could you not? your boyfriend has been very successful in the football field for quite a while now, but the olympics are a whole new level. and now that his team made it into the semi-finals, you couldn't be happier for him.

you gently played with his beautiful, long hair with a smile. it's a short calm moment, among of all the crazy things that have been happening lately; all the stress, all the emotions that came with the competitions. you wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as you could.

"hey... let's go and take some cute photos together." you chuckled, slowly standing up from your seat and offering him your hand. chigiri raised an eyebrow, but obeyed anyway.

as always, "taking photos together" turned into a whole professional session with you as a model. you kept on coming up with new poses and he's been taking hundreds of photos, already contemplating which ones he'll post on his instagram later. he loved to show you off after all.

"a bit more to the left, baby" he said gently, showing you where to stand. "perfect! now... how about you go up those stairs?" he pointed to the staircase a few meters away from you two. "i bet the pics will be amazing!"

you happily obeyed, climbing up the stairs as you made another cute pose. "oh my god, chigiri look!" you suddenly squealed, getting distracted from your little modeling role. "a kitten! aww, it's so cute!" you cooed, turning around to see as the small creature ran up the stairs next to you.

what you didn't expect though, is that this cute animal will make you distracted enough to lose your balance. last thing you remember is that your foot didn't touch the step as it was supposed to, your body falling down to the ground, followed by your boyfriend shouting out your name.

---★--------★--------★--------★--------★---

"does it still hurt a lot?" chigiri asked softly, gently combing your hair.

you nodded with a grimace as you looked down at your leg in a cast. you looked over at him as you munched on the sweet pastry he brought you. "it does. those chocolate muffins are really tasty though, you were right."

your body was still in pain after your fall, which you blamed entirely on the orange, fluffy cat from the staircase. you got to the hospital yesterday, where they told you your leg is broken. you also had a few bigger and smaller bruises on your arms and back.

earlier today chigiri's team won in the semi-finals, but due to your injury, you watched the whole match on the tv in your hospital room. as soon as the game ended and your boyfriend had a bit of free time, he immediately rushed to your side. after he took the muffins, of course.

chigiri sighed as he put the hairbrush down, pressing a tissue to your cheek to wipe some of the chocolate away. "i'm so sorry, darling" he said so sadly, almost as if your accident was his fault. "did the doctors say anything?"

you looked away slightly, knowing you have to tell him the sad truth. "yeah. i have to stay here for at least three days more. i won't be able to be there to see the finals from the stands."

the long-haired man nodded slowly as he sat down next to your bed. he expected it, but hearing it out loud made his heart ache even more. he didn't say anything, just wrapped his arms around you in a gentle hug, careful not to hurt you further.

the cute moment between the two of you have been suddenly interrupted as bachira stormed into the room with a big grin on his face, and a bunch of colorful markers in his hands. his eyes lit up even more as he saw your cast. "time to let my inner picasso come out!"

chigiri just sent him a glare, but you couldn't stop yourself from letting out a small laugh.

---★--------★--------★--------★--------★---

"i have to go now." your boyfriend said as he squeezed your hand gently. you saw how stressed he was, and you couldn't blame him.

competing for a gold medal at the olympics was not a joke, after all.

"good luck, love. don't you worry, yeah? it will be alright, i promise." you showed him a genuine smile, squeezing his hand back. he just sighed. "i just wish you could be there."

your eyes softened. "me too. but i have a tv here, i'll watch the whole game just like i did with the previous one, hm?"

hyoma smiled and leaned closer to stroke your cheek. "i really need to go now... i already have a missed call from nagi."

"right. i would tell you to break a leg, but i already did it, so no need for you to do the same."

he gently chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to your lips before he left the room.

---★--------★--------★--------★--------★---

this didn't look well.

the score was currently 1:0, and chigiri's team was losing. you were tossing in your bed; as much as your broken leg allowed you to.

his team was trying their best, but the opponents always found a way to get the ball back. you'd let out a gasp whenever chigiri had the ball, and then let out a curse whenever he lost it.

suddenly the tv turned off, and your heart almost jumped out of your chest.

"oh no, no, no!" you whined, clicking every button on the remote, but nothing worked. you got out your phone, and attempted to watch the game on it, but your battery was on only 9%, so it soon died too.

where did you put the damn charger?

it wasn't anywhere near you, and you couldn't move much around your bed, not to mention you couldn't sit up on your own.

you desperately asked one of the nurses for help, but she couldn't find your charger in the room as well, which only made you feel worse. she even was kind enough to bring you her own charger, but it didn't fit to your phone. she promised to ask her colleagues for a right type of charger, but because of her other responsibilities, she couldn't come back to you in a while.

you sighed deeply, running your shaky hands down your face, knowing that you ran out of possibilities.

---★--------★--------★--------★--------★---

"sweetheart, wake up..." a soft voice from your left made you slowly open your eyes, feeling your shoulder being gently shaken.

you yawned as your eyes finally opened, taking in the sight of your boyfriend. "ah, finally!" he huffed impatiently, lightly pinching your cheek.

"what's going on..?" you mumbled in confusion.

then the memories started to come back; how you watched the game, how the tv broke and how you couldn't find a proper charger. you must have fallen asleep in the middle of this chaos.

"i swear, waking you up from your beauty sleep is harder than winning a medal." chigiri teased gently, his eyes sparkling with genuine happiness.

"what..?" you rubbed your eyes and gasped, noticing the gold medal hanging from his neck. "you-! but it was 1:0-!"

he chuckled, still caressing your cheek. "at first, sure. but we ended up winning 2:1."

suddenly a pout formed on his face as he noticed your confusion.

"no way! you didn't see my goal?!"

"i can explain--!"

i wrote this in roughly 40 minutes so let me apologize for any mistakes i might have made! still, it was fun to write it:3

[dkakapizzaboy]

Fics Masterlist

Headcanons:

➡️ Seventeen's fanfiction Preferences (of themselves)

➡️ Casting Svt as Characters in KDramas I’ve Watched

Members:

1:30pm

Obliviously Obvious (Part 2 of 1:30 pm, NSFW, MINORS SHOO AWAY!)

Bend It Like_ (nsfw)

4pm

Chocolate Croissant

Everybody Wants to Rule the World

jealous Wonwoo in the library (suggestive)-hard hours

6:30pm

I’m Not Cute (Smut)

Darling I’m a Nightmare Dressed like a Daydream (Svthub’s 70steen collab)

5pm

1am

Camouflaged (SUGGESTIVE- MINORS DNI): Part 1

He was sunshine, I was Midnight Rain (Svthub Secret Garden Collab)

Office Au! Series

1️⃣11am

2️⃣6pm

3️⃣7:15pm

Café Conversations

stoner bf Vernon shotgunning- hard hours

thigh riding Vernon- hard hours

(I (mainly) only write SFW fics currently, don't have the talent to write NSFW honestly 🥲)

[yandere-daze]

(sorta inspired by your yandere aira but anyway) chiaki scrolling throughout an idol forum out of pure boredom only to find your groups debut album linked to a post. he listens and immediately falls in love, becoming a dedicated fan himself and making sure he shows up to every single event of yours. at first when you meet him (at a meet and greet) he explains how he’s also an idol and how he loves your music. and of course you feel nothing but grateful but there’s this sour feeling in yourself that makes you feel like he’s only doing this as a publicity stunt/or that he pities you for whatever reason. he offers his number but you decline nicely and try to get the next person in line for the meet and greet to continue the work day. Chiaki not getting the hint, proceeds to ask your producer if his group and yours could collab but they decline (may or may not be because of yourself telling them that you don’t want to be around Chiaki). and so Chiaki takes up to “coincidentally” showing up at your favorite coffee place and going so far as to try and interact with you, but you just brush him off again. in which Chiaki starts thinking about potentially putting you in danger just so he could be the hero he is and rush in to save you, leading to you finally falling for him and your guys’ happily ever after! or at least he hopes so

gn reader

tw yandere, obsession, implied stalking

Aww I really like this idea! Chiaki can be very passionate about the things he enjoys so I imagine you wouldn´t get him to shut up about just how much he adores your music ( and you!). He´s also very touchy too so he probably goes in for a hug the very first time you meet, not seeing anything wrong with it, I mean you´re both fellow idols and he just really apreciates you, you know? But it would probably get pretty overwhelming soon, with how Chiaki doesn��t seem to leave you alone at all and instead cheerfully asks you for your number every chance he gets, even if you politely declined several times.

And then of course Chiaki just wants to talk to you even badlier! You must be pretty busy with your idol work to not have the time to message him, he understands, really! So he goes to seek you out in your free time, following you into cafés or other shops you like to frequent because he naturally thinks that you have some time for him now!

But then gets very frustrated and sad when you don´t want to talk to him. But he knows that you two would get along super well! He wishes you could just give him a chance :/

Anon, I´ll have to admit that I actually really like the scenario where the yandere puts their darling "in danger" so they can swoop in and save you. It´s usually something done by manipulative yanderes but Chiaki is definitely not that! Maybe he just genuinely believes that he´s saving and protecting you by swooping in chasing away anyone he believes to be a threat.

Please just let him be your one and only hero!

[corpsekiller]

𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬, 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐬 — 𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐤𝐢

𝖯𝖠𝖨𝖱𝖨𝖭𝖦. gintoki sakata x genderneutral!reader

𝖶𝖠𝖱𝖭𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖲. fluff, a dash of horror, ghosts, demons, mentions of rituals but nothing graphic, this is honestly just funny fluff

𝖲𝖸𝖭𝖮𝖯𝖲𝖨𝖲. gintoki, the kids and you are supposed to hunt a demon, though you are sure ghosts and other creatures like that don’t exist and the haunted house is just going to be a fun halloween experience for kagura and shinpachi. well, you were wrong.

𝖠𝖴𝖳𝖧𝖮𝖱'𝖲 𝖭𝖮𝖳𝖤. this is my contribution for the wonderful collab @chaos-night​ set up this spooky season and i couldn’t decide what i wanted to write because i had so many ideas for this, but in the end i choose this piece. u’m so sorry this took so long, my internet didn’t work well and my mental health decided to fuck me over too, but now it’s finally done. i hope you enjoy it and check out all the other works of this collab <3 happy halloween and don’t get possessed by a demon, darlings

𝖫𝖤𝖭𝖦𝖳𝖧. 4.863 words

MASTERLIST GINTAMA COLLAB

“It’s charming!”

“It’s haunted and we’re all going to die,” Gintoki deadpans next to you, bored gaze studying the old mansion you were assigned to clear today. It’s a nice Wednesday and the sun is already disappearing behind the city, coloring the sky in soft orange hue matching the autumn leaves rustling in the chilly wind and one look at his facial expression is enough to tell you that he had other plans for this day. Still, someone came to the Yorozuya and offered them a job after they claimed to be ghost hunters this October, desperate to earn some coins here and there to pay this month’s rent and Gintoki’s pachinko debts. 

The client, an old lady with smooth gray hair and a bright smile, asked them to look for a demon who apparently lives in the house she wants to buy and although your boyfriend refuses to admit it, you know he’s a scaredy-cat and would rather sit in a café on the side of a shopping street and enjoy a glass of delicious chocolate parfait than run around this old mansion and search for a supernatural being. However, it took you a lot of convincing and physical strength to force him out of his home and now that you have him right where he should be, you won’t let him escape that easily. “Maybe we should just leave it be and look for something to eat.”

“Where do you think you’re going? You’re staying here and you’re going to help us finish this job,” you scold and grab his white yukata just as he tries to make a run for it. With a harsh yank, you pull him back to his spot beside you, merely giving him a amused grin and completely dismissing the death glare he gives you in reply as he attempts to free himself out of your tight grasp.

“Come on, Y/N!”

Your hand slides past his long sleeves and his words of complaint die in his mouth. Fingers intertwine under the flowing fabric and you give him a gentle squeeze, a small gesture to give him some sort of reassurance despite the absurdity of your situation. As funny as it is to see him this antsy and jittery, you’re aware that he’s giving his best and tries to put on a brave face for the kid’s sake. You admire him for this — always looking out for those brats, always protecting them and taking care of them as a father should. (Not that he would admit it.)

Always the doting boyfriend, too. 

You have known him for years, but it came to be a pleasant surprise to find that Gintoki is needy and that secret only came to light once you started seeing each other romantically. On the outside, he’s a lazy asshole with little to no ambition, wastes his money on magazines and gambling games, does nothing all day, but once you dig deeper and take a peek underneath his facade, behind those “dead fisheyes” as Hijikata likes to describe them, you find a much more caring side to him.

He’s a simple man after all and a man like him has needs too...like receiving a kiss whenever you wake up and when you go to sleep, a hug after a long day of work, head pats and back scratches, and your lap to rest in when people have been especially bothersome that day.

Now, under any other circumstances, he would’ve told you to fuck off and leave him with his precious chocolate parfait. He has better things to do than playing ghostbusters and straying around an abandoned building that appears to be close to collapsing over your heads, searching for a stupid demon who doesn’t even exist and if he would, you’d be dead in seconds anyway. Enjoying sweet strawberry ilk and reading the newest jump edition sounds far better than this, but then he catches your encouraging smile and suddenly, he’s convinced he can do this. Kinda pathetic if someone asks him, but what is he supposed to do?

He’s absolutely whipped for you and he needs the money anyway with the amounts of sukonbu Kagura manages to polish off in one sitting. That brat eats more than a whole army of samurai and every once in a while, Gintoki wonders why he hasn’t kicked her out yet; would save him a lot of food and cash he could waste on pachinko instead if the kids weren’t around, though he can’t deny that they have grown on him over the time he’s spent with them so far. Yeah, he loves these idiots as much as he loves you.

In fact, he would do nearly anything to see Kagura’s and Shinpachi’s stupid faces light up in childish smiles of joy and most importantly, he craves to see your smile too. It’s always warm, so warm and kind just like your embraces feel after an exhausting day and perhaps that’s why he only sighs defeatedly and rolls his eyes at your teasing jokes.

“C’mon, Gin-chan! I want to see if this demon really exists,” Kagura whines with a mouth full of salted seaweed, one small hand wrapped tightly around his much bigger wrist to pull him to the front door of the supposedly haunted mansion. Stumbling over the steps, he curses the girl and shoots you a helpless glance to which you respond with a shrug and a lopsided grin, quickly following the pair alongside Shinpachi and Sadaharu. Strangely, as you finally step through the door of the house, you notice both doubt and wariness nagging at the back of your mind. 

It’s nothing. Just an old house that has been empty for a couple of years.

The demon your customer talked about for endless hours doesn’t really exist and this mansion is clearly abandoned, yet a small part of you questions your previous opinion on ghosts on other entities, though you’re probably just intimidated by the enormity of this building. Yeah, that’s it. There’s no way you’re going to back down now that you’ve gotten so far and not to forget, you’re still earning money with this job. In the end, it’s just going to be an easy income and a fun activity to do now that October ultimately comes to an end and Halloween is just around the corner.

The house welcomes you with a foul stench of musty basement and stale drain water, although it isn’t as bad as you expected it to be. Thankfully, the human body has the wonderful ability to adapt to its surroundings and that includes the subtle change of perception connected to your sensory organs. Eyes adjust to sudden darkness, noses do the same with smell. It doesn’t take longer than five minutes until the gross odor is nearly undetectable as you shut the door behind your back.

“Wow,” you breathe out, once you look around. The foyer of the house is massive, intimidating in its size. The patterned wallpaper adorning the walls appears to be old and peels off in some spots. A lone chair occupies an otherwise empty corner and the opposite wall is hidden behind a shelf full of books. A crystalline chandelier hovers over Gintoki’s silver-haired head and the red rug beneath his black boots spews clouds of dirt with every careful step he takes. No one has lived here in years, that much is clear. If you look closer, you notice a thick layer of dust covering the furniture, and some of the tables and sofas you find in other rooms are covered in white sheets to protect the material from age.

The worst is the floor. While half of it is covered with red carpet, the other half is visible in the dim lighting creeping through the gaps in the front door. The boards appear to break in any second and send you straight to the basement, some nails stick out and deep scratch arks run through the wood, as if some kind of animals tried to dig a hole and get out of this house. 

Gintoki flinches at the loud creak ringing through the foyer when you step aside, experimentally flipping the light switch in hopes of having access to electricity.

To no avail.

So, you fumble for the flashlight you brought with you alongside other tool you thought you could need for obvious reasons — what’s ghost hunter without proper investigation equipment? Right, just an idiot talking to the air...which is the most accurate description for Gintoki at this moment. He’s walking through the foyer, randomly opening doors to explore other rooms while calling out to no one in particular, challenging the air around him to fight him. Kagura is hot on his heels, obviously too distracted to sense his discomfort he tries to hide to determinedly.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Shinpachi, the most responsible one out of the group, chose to stay by your side. His thumb presses the button of his own flashlight, quickly irradiating the abandoned house with a blinding beam of white light that doesn’t leave a corner in the dark. Although he doesn’t seem to be a true believer of the supernatural, as far as you can remember, he still cowers behind your back and clutches his flashlight a little tighter.

Kagura and Gintoki have disappeared out of your sight by the time you turn your face away from Shinpachi to study the foyer, but you can clearly hear them in what seems to be the kitchen they have found in their luck and you two share a concerned glance at the sound of their cheering. Drawers are opened and cutlery clatters loudly, then they yell something about having found food, so dramatically that one might think they have been starving for weeks.

“Let’s see what these idiots are doing and then we should start investigating,” you explain before pulling a piece of paper out of your pocket. In more or less intelligible handwriting you have noted terms and concepts you picked up from the book you read about otherworldly entities like holding a séance, bringing holy water and salt for protection, though you aren’t sure whether water guns filled with holy water could really help you out in case you meet a demon. Still, it feels reassuring to hold some kind of weapon, even if it’s made out of plastic and brightly colored, almost glowing in the dark. “We should try to talk to this demon and clear this place with incense. At least that’s what those guys did in that one show I watched.”

“Do you believe that really works?”

“Nope, but I don’t think I believe in the existence of demons and ghosts either, so this place is either abandoned or it’s truly haunted and we’re all going to die,” you laugh and nod your head, urging Shinpachi to follow you to the kitchen. Honestly, you never truly considered the possibility of ghosts and monsters being real. All those movies, those ridiculous tv shows you watched, and the books you read were just fiction, right? Just stories someone made up to scare naive children for fun and for a long time, you were certain you didn’t believe in the existence but now.. now you were starting to doubt that too. “There are worse ways to die.”

“You’re crazy.” He stares at you open-mouthed and disbelievingly shakes his head at the wide grin you give him. The wooden floor groans under your shoes as you take his hand, dragging the poor boy behind you while you stroll through the darkened hallway and direct your flashlight to a few photos decorating the wall. Carefully stepping over glass shards of broken picture frames, you finally reach the kitchen the same moment Kagura decides to open another cabinet.

The door hinges squeak in protest and she screams at the pile of plates and glasses falling out and shattering on the cold tiles. A million splinters fly through the air and the four of you jump back, mouths open and hands shaking, sidestepping sharp pieces of glass and porcelain that come flying at your feet while you slowly back out of the room to safety, hidden behind Gin who has already pulled his sword.

“Great, I sure hope we don’t have to pay for that,” you mutter after a moment of silently staring at the mess you created by accident. The house was damaged before you stepped through the front door anyway, so a few broken dishes shouldn’t be a big deal. The demon could’ve done this too, right? So if the old lady really bothers to ask stupid questions, you’ll just give her that answer. “We should find that demon and leave before-”

You stop mid-sentence.

For a second, you’re convinced your mind is playing tricks on you. But then, Gintoki whips his head around and the kids scramble to hide behind your back just as the door to the bedroom slams open so loudly, the whole mansion seems to shake under the force. Another picture frame falls to the floor and breaks next to the other ones. A chair moves right beside you, slides across the kitchen and scratches over the tiles before it hits the opposite walls and topples over. The stairs creak loudly under the invisible weight of a walking body and the light that hasn’t been working before suddenly flickers above your heads; on, off, on, off as if someone is constantly flipping the switch.

But how...?

“What the hell is going on?” Gintoki blurts next to you. His hand reaches out to find yours, calloused fingers clasping tightly around your wrist to pull you closer, causing your shoulder to bump into his side. He’s protective of you, keeps his hand wrapped around yours while he raises his sword, and straightens up, ensuring that the kids are alright if something would attack you out of nowhere. This is a man who has fought in a war for his country and is ready to put himself between any danger and the ones he loves and if you weren’t so scared at this moment, you would have thrown your arms around his neck and kissed him until your lips bruise and your lungs burn from the lack of oxygen..

Then, just as quick as it all started, the haunted house falls silent again.

“Well, that was fun,” you laugh nervously and slip out of his grasp, running your trembling fingers through your hair in order to collect your thoughts. Your hands are clammy and you run your palms over your shirt to wipe some of the sweat before you continue to talk. “We should hurry, guys. Communication...Communication is important and I want to have a nice little chat with this nonexistent demon for scaring us like that.”

This is a bad idea.

It’s certainly stupid and reckless, but you can’t shake the feeling this might have been some kind of invitation to explore the bedroom and build a connection to this paranormal being there, though a part of you still doubts that were the actions of a horned creature from hell. Old houses are known for doing fun stuff like making random noises and being spooky for no reason at all, and what else are you supposed to do now anyway? You’re already here and the client asked, no, begged you to clean this house with the promise of good payment and the Yorozuya need that money. Rent is long overdue and Otose-san’s patience runs thing. It’s only a matter of time until Gintoki has to pick up every piece of lint in his wallet to give her at least a third of the money he owes her.

“Woah, where are you going?! Are you really that stupid? The demon is probably waiting for you on the other side and once you step through that door he’s going to eat you alive.” Your boyfriend raises an eyebrow and points the blade of his wooden sword in your direction, taking a step back to bring as much distance as possible between him in the dark room. Kagura nods in agreement, one hand buried in Sadaharu’s white fur to keep him by her side while Shinpachi merely rolls his eyes but doesn’t dare to come out of his hiding spot behind Gintoki’s broad back.

“You’re terrible friends... You’re really going to let me do this alone?” You ask playfully and shake your head when they nod their heads in unison. “Stop being so scared of literally nothing. We all know demons and ghosts don’t exist, it was probably just the wind pushing the door open. This house is so old, it would be a miracle if all the windows are still intact.”

“What about the light? There’s no electricity in this house and it still flickered,” Shinpachi quips thoughtfully and quirks his brow in question while he raises one finger raises to push his glasses back on the bridge of his nose. That’s harder to explain, you have to admit that, but there is always a logical explanation, even if it’s about a flickering lightbulb.

There has to be.

“I don’t...I don’t know, that just happens sometimes,” you state weakly and beckon them to follow you before you walk through the door and brighten the room with your flashlight. Nothing spectacular here, only a bed, a big mirror leaning against a wall and a closet that appears to be standing here for decades. The curtains are closed and small dust particles fly through the beam of your light, tickle your nose and make you sneeze a few times in a row when you sit down on the stained blanket on the bed. A strange scent hovers in the stuffy air and your stomach churns - it smells rotten, like something died in this room and no one got rid of it. 

“Guys, we just have to light some incense, pretend to talk to this demon or whatever entity this is, and then we can go home. It’s not that hard, so stop being whiny little babies and move your asses over here.”

Finally, the Yorozuya move.

The mattress dips under the weight of Gintoki plopping down beside you. He’s nervous, fiddles with his belt and constantly reaches for his blade that rests closely next to him, ready to be wielded against any monster coming your way. Always so brave, your boyfriend, always looking out to protect you. Once again, you lean forward tp take his hand and press a gentle kiss to his cheek - a reward for his courage, a gift of gratitude for staying by your side, that he’s still here and hasn’t left, even if it’s just for the kid’s sake.

“Let’s get this over with,” he grumbles, though the slight quirk of his lips doesn’t escape you. If you would’ve looked closer, you could have seen the faint blush crossing his cheeks in the dim lighting, the glint of adoration in his gaze when he eyes lingered on your face for a second too long. He places the flashlight he’s been holding on the small nightstand and spins it until the bright beam illuminates your face as the kids crawl into bed as well. Sadaharu stays on the floor, curled up on the dirty carpet. You doubt the bed would be able to carry him.

“Alright, light these,” you instruct and hand Gintoki a bunch of incense sticks you bought in a store nearby, followed by a lighter you stole out of Otose-san’s pocket when she wasn’t looking. “They release a fragrant smoke and that’s supposed to scare off any ghosts and demons. I have no idea if that works, but we should try it out. And here, some salt to make a circle of protection around us.”

Soon, the room is filled with an aromatic scent and a circle of salt surrounds the bed you’re sitting on. Time to talk to the demon.

“Is the demon of this house here? I’m Y/N, this is Gintoki and those three over there are Kagura, Shinpachi and Sadaharu,” you call out to the air around you while pointing to each of your friends who wave at the darkness in a somewhat polite greeting. “We’re here to ask you for a favor, but it would be nice if you talked to us before we start with our questions.”

You wait in silence.

“It’s a nice house you got here,” Gin mutters quietly. Silver hair falls into his face as he glances at the smore rising from the incense between his fingers, delicate curls of fume dissipating in the blackness of the night. “Do you want to tell us why you chose to live in such an ugly house like this when you could have moved into any other home around here?”

His eyes widen as if he’s expecting some kind of answer. Then, after another minute of stillness, he impatiently clicks his tongue in boredom which Kagura takes as a sign to pull silly grimaces, cackling at her own stupid faces to herself. “Come on, demon! Say something to us, because this is getting boring and it’s honestly just a waste of time if you ask me.”

“Gin-san, shut up!” Shinpachi huffs out but doesn’t say anything else. He’s far too scared to scold Gintoki any further, shaky fingers pushing his glass over the bridge of his nose to peek at the crumpled piece of paper in your hand. A gasp leaves his lips when his elbow accidentally hits Sadaharu’s ear that twitches at the contact, though the giant animal seems rather unfazed by the constant agony ruling the room.

“Come on, demon! Say something, you wimp!” Gintoki continues, pointedly ignoring the mildly disproving look on both yours and Shinpachi’s faces. Growing bolder by the second, he leans back against the dusty pillows and crosses his arms behind his head, cockily grinning at the darkness and arching his brow in a challenging manner. “If you’re really as dangerous as I thought you were, you should prove your powers to me because I’m starting to believe you’re not even real.”

“Ignore him,” you interrupt quickly before your boyfriend can say more. He’s an idiot, especially when he gets this arrogant and although you said you don’t believe in demons, you can’t help but fear that he pissed off whatever lives in this house. “He’s an asshole and we actually just wanted to ask if you could give us a sign of some sort to confirm you’re living here before we move on to our favor.”

None of you notices it at first.

The subtle shift in the atmosphere slips your mind, likewise does the steady fall of the temperature until you can see your own breath in the freezing air and Gintoki begins to shiver at a sudden rush of cold. Hugging himself to keep his body warm, he sends you alarmed look. Your shoulders tense and you shudder, opening your mouth to blow your hot breath on your icy fingertips. “Gin, are you alright?”

“Yeah, just a bit chilly in here.”

“Uh, Y/N,” Kagura calls out and catches your attention, blue eyes wide in fear as she lifts her hand to point at the flashlight on the nightstand. Her glance never leaves the object out of sight while she hesitantly forms her next sentence and slides closer to Shinpachi. “The light just flickered.”

She’s right. You turn your face and catch the flashlight in another movement, watch as it rolls on it’s own, back and forth until it ultimately falls over the edge of the furniture and tumbles to the floor where it continues its path and disappears under the bed. Almost immediately, the kids begin to scream at the top of their lungs and Gintoki leaps into your lap, clutching your shirt in tight fists while sputtering all sorts of apologies and pleads to save his miserable life.

“Guys! Relax, that was probably just the wind,” you shout over their hysterical screams, yet your own heart jumps into your throat and your stomach twists in terror. Shivers run down your spine and although you try to sound as confident as possible, you can’t help the feeling that you’re being watched — it’s as if you can sense the demon’s burning gaze on your neck, but when you whip your head around, you only find the big closet behind you, looming over your much smaller figure dressed in sleek mahogany and with beautiful swirling patterns carved into the smooth wood. 

Something scratches. The noise is so prominent, so startling that it momentarily silences your friends.

“Why are you staring at that closet?” Gintoki’s voice breaks, grows high-pitched at the end of his question as he moves to sit up and scramble to the other end of the bed. His hand blindly reaches for his sword and you open your mouth to argue, brush it off as mice or rats you heard scratching in there, yet you can’t even utter the first word before you hear it again. This time, it’s far louder, like gigantic claws running over the splintering wood, drawing deep furrows on the inside of the closet.

And then, slowly, the doors open.

The sound of glass shattering can be heard, the mirror now a disaster of shards on the floor. A howl rolls through the room like thunder and panic fills your lungs, robs you of all oxygen as Gintoki takes your hand and pulls you off the bed in a matter of seconds. He lunges to the door handle, throws a quick glance over his shoulder to find the kids perched on Sadaharu’s back, and then you’re already bolting down the hallway. The sound of scratching and sinister growls of temptation follow closely behind you as you pass the stairwell, rounding corners and dashing down the other hallway to dive into the gigantic foyer. The creature enters seconds after you do, opening the doors with such force that the walls crack from the impact and more picture frames tumble to the floor one by one.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

It feels like your lungs are about to burst and your chest tightens painfully, every breath you take burns in your throat and your vision grows blurry, but you’re almost there, almost out of this nightmare. Gintoki’s hand slips out of your grasp. Sweat gathers on your temples, soaks your hair, and runs over your cheeks in another surge of awful fear, though your boyfriend quickly catches on and simply slows his steps to hurl you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. That short moment of hesitance gives the monster, the demon, whatever the fuck this creature is, a chance to catch up, and now that you’re thrown over your Gin’s back, you can finally look at the monstrosity that has been hunting you through the mansion.

Furious red eyes meet your gaze. They remind you of the pits in hell, hungry flames engulfing the glowing irises of the demon. Dried blood glistens on the tips of long twirled horns decorating his skull, raven black her frames his face in long knotted strands and a mouth of razor-sharp fangs slowly opens to engulf your head in a deathly bite to decapitate you.

You’re not ready to die, not like this and so, you do the only reasonable things: you reach in the pocket of your pants and pull out the plastic gun filled with holy water, impulsively squirting it right into the demon’s mouth. It hisses and screams loudly, doubles over in pain, but when it lifts its head and continues to follow close behind you, you only know that you’ve pissed it off even more.

“Fuck, run!” You scream and shut your eyes right before Gin bursts through the front door and bright sunlight greets you. The air smells like dried leaves and autumn, so different from the odor that stuck in your nose since you entered the haunted house. You can finally breathe freely again.

A screech can be heard. Through the blur of tears, you watch the beast retreat back into the center of the house, out of the light and back into the darkness where it came from. As soon as Gintoki lets you down from his back, your knees buckle under the weight of your body and you sink into your boyfriend’s arms, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for air.

It takes a moment to gain the energy to speak, to remember how words work. Your brain is fuzzy and your words are slurred from exhaustion as you look up at your friends, a wobbly smile dancing over your chapped lips at the sight of their pale faces — they are alive and unharmed, aside from the shock that still sits deep in your limbs.

“Okay, maybe you were right. It wasn’t the wind,” you joke weakly, earning laughter from the kids. Even Gintoki snorts at your lame joke and only shakes his head, before brushing a strand of hair out of your dirty face and leaning down to kiss your lips. You’re safe and you’re okay, that’s all that matters now.

[cinnamonest]

For the Modern AU!

Continuing about that stalker Bennett; He would be a Photography student, wanting to freelance his way through the world and explore. He might also be going for a minor in arts, or something about mechanics? Something so he'll have the knowledge to repair his gear since he always manage to break something or it crashes on him, courtesy of his bad luck.

The type of darling that he might fall for would be one who runs a travelling blog/account on instagram! The sweet type with aesthetically pleasing features, maybe soft spoken but with such a passion in her eyes. He gets soooo jealous when he sees his darling and another photographer/model/traveller collab together, he really wants to be the one taking those photos, capture the beauty of both darling and scenery in one picture.

He somehow finds out that, actually, darling lives relatively close to his own place. He gets so excited and actually spent a lot of time outside, trying to see if he can catch her on the streets, maybe strike a conversation with her, anything! As long as he can exchange words and offer her his services and friendship. Who would say no to a free photography session?

His search actually paid off... but in a really Bennett manner. He was seated on a picnic table chair in a park, toggling with the camera in his hands while he looked around, searching for darling. The door of a café at the other side of the street opens, and darling actually steps out, coffee and muffins in hand.

As Bennett turns to look to where the door opened, he manages to catch a glimpse of darling! But a car with the windows rolled down stopped right in from of him, blocking the view. He hastily stands up and jogs towards her (he would have run, but she was looking at his direction! ... What's up with that face... is she, smiling at him!? Oh boy, he doesn't want to look that desperated) But as he nears the car, something jumps out of it, and lands on top of Bennett.

Turns out, the car had a dog at the back, that was what made darling smile.

The dog took the camera in its jaws and bolted as fast as it could, right into the park. Bennett remained a moment on the floor, trying to process what just happened, but then he stands up and goes after the dog just as the owner does the same.

At the end Bennett wasn't able to say hi to Darling, but at least he is certain that she does lives near! After that, he will start to hang out near the café, taking notes of the time and days when darling goes. And it not only extends to that! The begins taking photos of darling when he follows her back home one day, so the next day he can wake up early and wait for her to go to work or take out the trash, whatever, he only wants to capture her in differents moments of the day, marvelling at when she goes to take her mail in sweatpants and a big sweater, not wearing the usual makeup she wears in her photos. Or a little bit later in the day, when she looks more awake and dressed professionally on her way to work.

Maybe, if he is lucky enough, he might get a few pictures of her while in a very private moment of solitude...

.

[giantmuschroom]

Christmas Collab: The one carol

Hello there. Here I am..with another story which is part od our Christmasy ideas. 

The story is 90% and 10% fiction (You may have guessed it..it’s Lee Jae Wook, who is the fiction). So i’m sorry if you can’t put yourself in this Y/N’s shoes. 

If you don’t know Adeste Fideles, you can watch and listen here. Also i realized, that with everything going on..I wouldn’t be able to attend this year, which is sad. I love this Christmas tradition.  You can read other stories in our collab here

Endless thanks @prettywordsyouleft​ for betareading :) 

Warning: Church ceremony

Lee Jae Wook x reader

It was that time of year. Your nemesis has appeared once again. But this time, this time you will be ready. So you downloaded the audio file, printed the text and found the latin pronunciation. 

And that's how Jae Wook found you. With headphones in ears, singing in a strange language. “What exactly are you doing?” he waved his hand in front of you.

 “Oh you are here,” you smiled at him, “I will start preparing dinner,” you said, taking your headphones off. 

“Not before you explain what was that,” he stopped you. 

“So, you know, how you agreed to spend Christmas at my parents house, right? We always go to church on Christmas Eve and sing carols and celebrate,” you started. You were never really a church goer, but on Christmas it was special. 

“And they always play this carol Adeste Fideles, it's in latin and i never bothered to learn the words,” you continued. 

Adeste Fideles became your nemesis. They started playing it on organs some years ago. After the first year there was some backlash, about this particular carol, but it stayed in the repertoire. You and your mom always had fun trying to sing it, stumbling about the words. 

“So this year I decided I will learn it properly,” you ended. Jae Wook stared at you. 

“What?” you asked. 

“Your nemesis is an old carol?” he asked with a smile.

 “Well, I always think they will not play it. But at the end, they do!” 

“Ok, darling. I will leave you to your learning and prepare dinner,” he put your headphones back on, kissed you on your forehead and made his way to the kitchen. 

December was always a special time for the two of you. Because you actually met out Christmas shopping, when you grabbed the last cashmere scarf and so did Jae Wook. After a brief argument about how you both really really need it for your respective mum, you let him win and he asked you for coffee and after three hours in café he helped you think of another present for your mum and agreed to see you the next day to go through the shopping hell once more. And as they say, the rest was history. So the first Christmas was full of rose clouds and getting to know each other. 

The second Christmas you spend together, he proposed with a cashmere scarf. You laughed and of course you said yes. So the next Christmas it was your family’s turn. Jae Wook was interested in your traditions as much as you were in his. You jokingly called it a fusion Christmas. 

***

It was finally Christmas Eve. You were excited to share your tradition full on with Jae Wook. The putting up tree, the Christmas fairy tales playing on TV. You forced him to taste every Christmas sweet you and your mom made and picked favourites. You exchanged gifts and it was time to go to the church. 

“When will they play your favourite carol?” He asked you. 

You smiled at him “At the end.”  

Every year you were surprised that you still remember parts of the ceremony. You sang the carols and the service was nearing the end. “So this is it. This is the last last prayer after that I’m ready,” you whispered to him. You already found the carol in the songbook. The organs started playing, you took a deep breath and….It wasn’t it.

 “It sounds different,” wondered your husband. 

“How dare they,” you muttered under your breath. 

“What was that?” he said. 

“It sounds so different because it’s not it! They are playing something different!” you whispered furiously and a few older ladies shot you disapproving looks.  You sat on the bench in disbelief. “Don’t laugh!” you ordered Jae Wook as a smile creeped on his lips. He gently kissed your temple. 

“You will get them next time, darling,” he whispered. 

Next one in our installment would be last :) So be prepared! 

[shadowthrone-ammanas]

Xmas Invite

The Xmas decorating was already well under way when the Conductor arrived at the studio. Grooves’ doing no doubt, he’d probably called his penguins in early for this, he was that into Xmas. Well, once the owls arrived, the Conductor would send them to help finish so they could all get to back to work on their movie. … Not that there was much left to do, only a few more rounds of editing before their big studio Xmas movie would be done. After that, there wouldn’t be much to do until the new year.

Several of the penguins called merry greetings as the Conductor passed by them. He responded with little more than grunts of acknowledgment; the morning was not his time of day and he’d never understood the whole cheery greeting thing anyway, holiday season or not. If any of them were bothered, they gave no sign of it.

Upon reaching the office door, he knocked three time before letting himself in.

“Oh, good morning Connie, darling,” Grooves greeted him with a smile. “What’s that you got there?”

“Coffee,” the Conductor as he placed the drink carrier on Grooves’ desk. “Me pecking coffee maker broke this morning so I had to stop by the drive thru café on my way to work. And before you ask, yes, I got you your weird fancy complicated drink order.” It had so much sweetener in it, it didn’t even count as coffee anymore as far as he was concerned but Grooves liked it somehow anyway.

“Well aren’t you the best boyfriend a penguin could ask for, thank you and merry Xmas.”

“Merry Xmas,” the Conductor replied as he pulled his own drink – coffee with a normal amount of creamer – out of the drink holder before going to the other side of the room to sit at his desk.

They sat in silence for a while; Grooves working, the Conductor pretending to but really just sitting there and enjoying his coffee as he woke up a little more. It was a comfortable silence though, no tension or expectation to be friendly and chatty. It was… a good way to start the work day.

“You coming to my place for Xmas?” the Conductor eventually broke the silence. It was a question but he was pretty sure he knew the answer to already. Bringing it up was more a formality than anything else.

“If you would have me, I would love to join you for Xmas.” Grooves didn’t have any family and no friends outside of his job so where else would he go?

“Good. You think you could come over on Xmas Eve and be Santa for me grandkids? There’ll be milk and cookies in it for you as well as a place to spend the night.”

“Oh, well yeah, sure. That sounds like a lot fun actually.” The kids loved him and his cheery nature made him objectively better at being Santa than the Conductor could ever hope to be so it just made sense for him to do it.

“Thanks.”

There was a short pause before Groves replied. “No, thank you for inviting me.”

“Eh, it ain’t that big a deal. Of course I invited you, we’re like… a thing now and you spent Xmas with me last year so why wouldn’t you this year? And I could use your help with the grandkids, they’re a lot to handle this time of year and the older they get, the more energy they have and the less I have to deal with it. So really if anything, you’re doing me more of a favor by coming over than I am in inviting you.”

“It’s a big deal to me darling.” Grooves’ tone was unmistakably sincere. “It’s been… a long time since I last had anywhere to go on Xmas. So, thank you, I appreciate it and everything else you’ve done for me.” Suddenly he was behind the Conductor’s chair; hands on the Conductors shoulders, he bent over to give him a slight nuzzle, cheek to cheek – the bird equivalent of a kiss. “But let’s get to work now, huh?” he said as he straightened. “We got decorating to supervise and a movie to edit.”

With that, he was exiting the room, leaving the Conductor feeling a bit warmer than he had a few seconds ago. It wasn’t a big deal; Grooves was often affectionate and not afraid to get touchy-feely but… gosh the Conductor had fallen hard for him. They hadn’t even been dating for a full year yet and he was already head over heels in love. He wasn’t ready to say the words yet though, not after years of telling himself he’d never love again. But he was happy and he was allowed to be, so was Grooves and thus they would have a happy Xmas together.

So after shaking it off, the Conductor stood and followed Grooves out. This Xmas movie had potential to be their best collab project yet and he was going to help make sure it was so.

[imaginarydaydreams]

A Sweet Retreat

Fandom: Mystic Messenger Pairing: Jumin x MC   Date Written: 11/3/18 Thoughts: I didn’t???? Know we could post these????? Written for @juminfanzine; I would like to give a shoutout to the whole team for everything, especially the mods! Thank you for having me! And thank you to @mayuiki-art for being my collab partner! Your piece really awed me and I’m still honored to have worked with you ;A; 

[The following story contains details concerning Mr. and Mrs. Han’s first outing to try what was referred to as “commoner food,” which translates to foods commonly enjoyed in popular culture. The story has been reimagined by one of our reporters, with details graciously provided to us by both Mr. and (mainly) Mrs. Han.] “My love...are you sure about this?”  The sun shone overhead on this fine summer day, not a cloud in the sky marring the beautiful blue. Around them, the chattering of couples echoed through the open air, cooing as they passed shop windows littered with unique knick knacks or interesting food combinations used to lure in potential customers. Jumin and his wife stood outside one of these shops—a quaint little cafe with cute decorations hanging from the windows. One hand was wrapped around her waist as he kept her close, afraid to lose her in the crowds, while hers were clasped together in awe as she stared at the bubble-lettered shop sign. “If you wanted some desserts, I could have had the chef prepare some for us back at the penthouse.”  Jumin frowned, following her gaze as he continued to stare through the open window. “Are you even sure we're in the right place? This doesn't quite look like the spot of a famed café...” 

She giggled and took his free hand in hers. “Yes, I'm sure. I double checked the address on my phone while we were heading here.” Leaning up to press a soft kiss against his cheek, she looked up at him, a sweet smile gracing her features. “And the whole point of this trip is that I want you to try ‘commoner food,’ something made with love and not the skills of some fancy chef!” He gave her a dubious look, again looking back at the café front before them. The brick foundations seemed a little worn, the awning faded from what looked like years of weather damage. A few of the window decor were overly cutesy, various vinyl sticker characters and drawings covering the smooth glass. Overall, the place didn't look too bad, but Jumin still had his doubts. Especially if this place was supposed to be one of Korea's top places for something called ‘bubble tea,’ something that his wife practically pleaded for him to try once she discovered that he “had no clue why anyone would create tea with bubbles.” She saw the look in his eyes and gave him her signature puppy dog look. “Please, Jumin?” She pleaded. “I know it's out of your comfort zone, but I just really want to show you some of the treats that I grew up with.” Her gaze dropped down to her hands, mindlessly fiddling with her fingers. “...And I thought this would be a cute date idea. I know you've been stressed from work lately, so I just wanted to plan something where we could just relax and try good foods.” Her lips formed a cute little pout on her face and he knew he was done for. ...If this was what his precious love wanted, then who was he to deny that? Sighing before or pressing a kiss into her hair, he held her hand a little tighter, leading her towards the door. “I could never say no to a request from my darling wife,” he said as he gripped the door handle, “And I will give you the honors of ordering whatever you see fit for me to try.” The door opened with a chime, the scent of freshly baked pastries and sweetness wafting through the air. The cozy cafe was filled with patrons, all seated at small tables and chattering away with their companion. The delectable goodies framed in the glass counter looked as appetizing as the pictures online made them out to be. From tiramisu to macarons, sweet treats lined the shelves, displayed as pristinely as they most likely were when they were first made. A waitress greeted the both of them with a smile, quickly leading them to a table near the window and seating them with two menus. As his wife chatted excitedly with the waitress, Jumin's eyes scanned over the menu, taking in all the foreign names of each item. With each name, his eyebrow rose in curiosity—after all, what was a ‘bubble tea?’ Did they actually make tea using bubbles? How was that possible? While he was deep in thought, his lovely wife paused to look at him, almost needing to suppress a giggle at his expression. Jumin was staring intently at his menu, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed in deep concentration. He didn't look angry, no; in fact, if she had to guess, he was probably confused by all the different dessert names and what they were. How adorable. Her eyes flitted to her own menu, looking over the different items and—oh. They had that here? It was a rare delicacy found in Korea, so she was surprised to see it offered here and in such an array of flavors. The surprise on her face slowly melted into a soft smile as she looked back at Jumin, her grin only growing. The look on his face said it all—he was most likely confused about the bubble tea. Which made sense, considering he never had any of these treats before. She looked over to the waitress still waiting for their drink order and gave her a small smile. “Two roasted Okinawa milk bubble teas, please.” Her voice had snapped Jumin out of his concentration, giving her a questioning look at the order she had just placed. Yet she simply gave him a smile that practically said ‘please trust me on this.’ So he simply nodded and returned back to his menu. “Of course,” the waitress chimed brightly, “Would you like more time to order?” She spared a glance to Jumin, who still looked confusedly at the menu, and back to his wife. “I'll take that as a yes?” She merely laughed and nodded. “Yes please, we'd like more time.” “Then I'll go ahead and get your drinks ready for you! Please take as much time as you need!” And with that, the waitress scribbled down their order onto her notepad and made her way over to the kitchen, leaving Jumin and his wife alone at their table. “So, did you find something that you’re interested in?” She joked, amusement sparkling behind her eyes. “After all, you were looking at that menu pretty intently.” He looked up at that comment, noting the way her seemingly innocent smile held that mischievous edge that so defined her. But as much as she was quick-witted, so was he. Jumin simply gave his wife a placid smile of his own, folding his hands atop the table and looking her straight in the eyes. “Well, yes, but I don't believe they're offering you on the menu, my princess.” Checkmate. That beautiful blush he adored bloomed across her face as she coughed into her hand, trying to stifle her embarrassment. “Clever,” she huffed through a grin, “But you know what I was talking about. Did any of the pastry names catch your eye while you were looking?” He merely hummed in response, opening the menu back up and scanning the list once more. “Actually,” he mumbled, “There was one...” “Oh?” He set the menu down between the two of them, hand moving to point at one of the items—a slab of bread drizzled with honey and chocolate, strawberries and whipped cream piled on top in heaps. Her eyes lit up in recognition, but he didn't seem to notice. “This is apparently called ‘honey toast,’ according to the menu. But what I don't understand is why someone would pay for something that could be easily made at home.” “Mmm, you've never tried honey toast before though, have you?” “I'm afraid not. But still, I am rather curious about it. Why would someone sell something so simple to make as a supposed high-end dessert?” “Then why don't we have you try it now? After all, it's really good and—” she sent a wink his way— “its a dessert made for two.” He was sure he could feel a faint heat rise to his cheeks at such provocation. But that soon melted into a loving smile. “Of course, my dear,” he mumbled, leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek. The waitress returned shortly after their exchange, two drinks in hand and a perky grin on her face. “Okay, so I have two roasted Okinawa milk teas for the both of you—” she said as she set the drinks down in front of Jumin and his wife— “and some straws,” placing straws next to them. The wide beam on her face was then turned to both of them as she reached for the notepad and pen tucked away in her apron. “Are you guys ready to order?” His wife merely looked at him with an encouraging smile. Jumin returned it before turning back to the waitress, “Yes, I believe we are. We would like to get one ‘honey toast’ please, preferably one that could be shared.” “Certainly. Will that be all?” It was his lovely wife who then spoke up. “For now, yes.” “Then I’ll go ahead and leave the menus on the table for you and place your order! Just give me a few minutes!” Again, she quickly scribbled down the order and left for the kitchen, once again leaving the two alone. The time was spent in idle chat; Jumin’s wife had managed to get a few chuckles out of him while he had her blushing with every compliment he gave her. A few minutes later, their waitress had returned, a large plate held in her grasp as she  looked at the couple. “A honey toast for two, made extra sweet—” she placed down two sets of silverware— “and extra fresh. Hope you two enjoy!” With a brief bow, she turned away to wait on other tables. Jumin eyed the dessert that sat in front of him and his wife. It surely looked like the picture as advertised—a large slab of toast drizzled artfully in ribbons of golden honey and warm chocolate sauce, piles of fresh strawberry decorating sweet cream at the top. The sugary scent drifted between them; he could tell the bread was freshly made, the strawberries ripe and red. Truly a simple dessert, but the presentation was so elegant that he was taken aback. It was only when his wife looked up from her piece, already cut to a manageable size, that she said something. “Jumin, what’s wrong?” “Ah, nothing, my dear. Just…in awe at such presentation. It looks professional.”  A soft giggle left her lips, causing him to meet eyes with her. “Well, if you don’t eat soon,” she teased, “then I’m eating without you!” With those final words, she brought the small slice up to her mouth, savoring the sweet sensations dancing on her tongue. Giving the dessert one last look, Jumin followed her example and cut a slice for himself, tasting and savoring the strange combination. It was definitely sweet, maybe a bit too sugary for his taste. But the crunch of the toast, accompanied with hints of tartness from the strawberries balanced it out. The whipped cream wasn’t too sweet either, and he appreciated the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate. Overall, it wasn’t bad. Dare he say…delicious, even? “So? How was it?” Jumin looked up to see his wife grinning victoriously at him, hands folded on top of each other as she stared. Her eyes were twinkling in amusement and adoration, as if adoring the scene before her. Jumin only hummed before taking another bite. “This is extraordinary, my love,” he said, “you never cease to amaze me with your suggestions.” The look he gave her mirrored hers—soft, sweet, full of love and affection. He always loved getting to experience the world with the love of his life; to have her share in her favorite things, to want him to experience things he never had, due to his status…even just seeing the childish delight that lit up her face made his heart swell with so much reverence for this woman before him. He would always be thankful for her in his life. “I’m glad you liked it,” she said, leaning over to place an awkward kiss onto his cheek. Settling back down, she picked up her fork again, cutting another slice. “But I really did mean it, Jumin Han, I will eat this without you if you don’t hurry up!” The couple spent the rest of their afternoon enjoying various desserts in the company of each other. And, while surrounded by confections, nothing could match the sweetness of their affections for one another.

[stars-and-rose]

|Heart Point| Chapter One

Is Emily staring another story when she already has like eight others planned?

You fucking bet!

This AU is a collab between me and @planetkookie ! Kai is an absolute Queen! She's the one behind all the amazing art in this AU (you can see the character designs if scroll through my account, or search the tag #heart point au!) She'll also be writing one-shots when she feels inspired too!

Meanwhile, I'm writing the main fic!

Notice: I own none of the characters in this! Vance and Cassidy belong to Aphmau, and the boys all belong to Thomas Sanders!

The general plot and some dialogue belong to Aphmau as well

Without further ado....

Fandom: Thomas Sanders/Sanders Sides

Pairings: Logince, (Eventual) Prinxiety, (Eventual) Logicality and (Eventual) Remceit

Summary: In which Roman suffers through a break-up and proceeds to accept a gift- which probably wasn't a good idea.

Word Count: 2892

Trigger Warnings: Break-up, Fainting, Cursing because I cannot contain my potty mouth, not anything really severe this fic is very fluffy

next>>

Chapter One: When momma said "Don't accept gifts from strangers," she might of been on to something

"You're breaking up with me?"

Roman could not believe this was happening. He loosened his grip on the hot chocolate he'd been drinking; the hot liquid had turned bitter on his tongue. He stared at his boyfriend, who wasn't making eye contact with him.

"That's,  um, a way to put it. Definitely." Roman's boyfriend, Vance, still wasn't meeting his eyes.

"Definitely a way to put it or definitely breaking up with me?" Roman's voice still had the tiniest bit of hope in it. Maybe he'd heard Vance wrong. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, a skill he was fantastic at.

"Both?" Vance finally raised his eyes and they met with Roman's. Vance's blue eyes were filled with apprehension, sadness, and something that looked suspiciously like pity.

Meanwhile, Roman was trying not to cry, his green eyes scrunched with his effort. "Oh."

"Ro?" Vance's voice was soft. "You okay?"

"Did I do something wrong?"

Vance shook his head violently. "Do something? Are you kidding? No, no way! You've been an awesome boyfriend-"

"But you're breaking up with me?" Roman blinked a few times, desperate not to cry.

Vance let out a sigh. "Yes."

"For Cassidy. On the track time." Roman's voice gained a bit of an edge as he spoke.

"Heh… I see word travels fast." Vance grumbled, looking away again. Roman covered his head in his hands. Little tears were starting to fall down his face and he'd be damned if he let Vance see them.

"You're dumping me for Cassidy on the track team?" Roman's voice was muffled, and Vance sighed.

"Oh no… Roman…I'm sorry… please don't cry…. Ro come on, we're in public."

"Crying? Who's crying?" Roman lifted his head from his hands, eyes a bit red.

"Roman…."

Roman let out a laugh that held no humor to it. "Why would I be crying, I'm an adult, thank you."

"Don't call yourself an adult when you have stickers all over your face."

It was true, Roman did have stickers on his face: two gold stars, one on his left cheek and the other near his right eyes. It was one of many ways Roman showcased himself to the world, and he was proud of it.

"I can have stickers all over my face and handle my boyfriend breaking up with me three weeks before prom because that’s what adults do!" Roman's voice grew louder as he spoke, drawing attention from the people around them. Neither boy cared. Roman loved attention and Vance was used to it, due to Roman's dramatic flair.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Vance's voice had become soft again.

"Absolutely."

That had been twenty minutes ago.

Currently, the same boy who'd said he was 'absolutely' okay was sobbing on his bed with his best friends arms around him. Patton always smelled like cookies and vanilla and the smell was a comfort to Roman.

"Oh, Kiddo, breathe, just breathe it's going to be okay." Patton soothed, rubbing the taller boy's back as he continued to sob. He looked around at the other boy in the room. "Remy, we're going to need more tissues."

"How did I end upon tissue duty?" Said boy huffed, walking across the room with the tissues in his hands and his signature sunglasses pushed back.

"You were compelled by the ancient right of friendship!" Patton told him, before turning his attention back to Roman. "Here you go! Just take one-"

Roman proceeded to bury his face into the box.

"Or do that whatever works for you!" Patton looked back up. "Remy, we're going to need ice cream! Double-chocolate chunk, stat!"

"Now I'm on ice cream duty?" Remy sighed, crossing his arms.

"The power of friendship. It compels you!" That, or the fact Patton was starting to get into extreme dad mode, and that was a sight no one truly wanted to see.

"Gurl, I have track practice in fifteen minutes and if I don't get a coffee between now and then I am going to lose it."

"Vance..is on the track team! And so is Cassidy!" Roman instantly went back to sobbing at an even higher pitch than before. Patton winced.

"Oh my goodness, can we not bring up Track for now? Vance just dumped Ro-"

"-for Cassidy Stevenson?" Remy interrupted. " From the relay team? Yeah, I know. Cassidy hooked up with Vance at the post-meet and greet last week and then proceeded to spill everything to Alexandria Waters who is such a big mouth and told me- why are you looking at me like that?"

"You knew about this?" Patton growled.

"Um, yes darling I pride myself in knowing all this school's gossip-"

"You knew about this and didn't tell Roman?" Patton yelled, reaching over-protective dad mode, his eyes blazing as Remy took a step back.

"Hey, I didn't want to trigger that!" Remy waved his arms at Roman, who was still managing to cry even though he had been doing so for almost a half-hour now.

Patton sighed, backing down. "Fair. Ro, kiddo, how we doing?"

"They're probably warming up together wearing those stupid short- shorts! Vance looks good in stupid short-shorts! Why is running even a sport anyway? It's just walking a little faster!" After his stunning contribution, Roman went back to the tissue box.

"Okay, that's my limit, I'm going to get myself coffee and go to track." Remy flipped down his sunglasses. "But, Roman? Forget about him. You're perfect just the way you are."

Roman wasn't feeling that perfect- his eyes were red from crying and his throat burned. "Even with stickers on my face?"

“Especially with the stickers. Okay, hon? Okay."

"Okay." Roman agreed softly.

"I'm going to go. AND IM GOING TO SMOKE DOWN THAT UNGRATEFUL STICKERLESS ASSHOLE FOR YOUR HONOR!" Remy cried out, exiting the dorm with a whoop!

"Yeah, Remy! Be our Prince's knight! Roast him! With butter! And organic peanut butter!" Patton cheered.

"Thanks, Remy," Roman whispered as he watched his friend leave.

"See, Ro? Everything will turn out a-o-kay!"

Then, the door swung open. "My apologies, I got here as soon as I could, by which I mean as soon as the scholastic decathlon mixer wrapped up-" Despite his breathing making it sound like he had run to the dorms, Logan still managed to look as professional and orderly as ever. Patton gave him a quick smile.

"Took ya long enough! Ah, don't look so guilty Lo, I'm joking."

"Is he okay?" Logan asked, scanning the room for their usually over-the-top friend. "Where is he?"

Patton simply pointed to Roman's bed, where the boy had wrapped his arms around his legs and curled into a ball. He had finished sobbing, but a few stray tears slipped down his cheeks. Logan walked over to him and bent down.

"Hey Roman," Logan whispered softly, knowing by now how to deal with Roman after the brunet had a meltdown. None of his usual big words- that would only make Roman feel stupid and in turn make him feel worse "I had planned to save these for your birthday, but I got you some stickers…"

Roman looked up, his green eyes brightening the slightest of bits. "Stickers?"

"Yes, Ro. They have little crowns on them."

"Crown stickers?" Roman mumbled, his voice rough from his sobbing.

"And they're glittery too."

"Glittery crown stickers?"

"Mmhmm. All yours." Logan gently put the stickers down on the boy's knee. Roman instantly snatched them and turned around.

"Hey now, staying in your dorm and putting stickers on your face isn't the best thing for your mental health-"

"Huh?" Roman turned back around, one of the glittery stickers placed above Roman's nose.

"Oh Newton, ah, let's go for a walk. Fresh air and sunlight are proven to help increase mood." Logan helped Roman up and flashed Patton a nervous smile. "I'll take care of him, don't worry Pat."

Patton flashed him another smile, and Logan saw how Patton was exhausted. Dealing with Roman's meltdowns happened to have that effect on people. Logan knew in a single glance that Patton needed a break from his roommate.

Soon enough, Logan managed to drag Roman outside. "See, Roman? Don't you feel a little better with the sunshine?"

In response, Roman let out what sounded like a hiss."The vitamin D is infecting me."

Logan gave the other boy a small grin, happy that Roman had a least remembered one thing from science. "Then it's doing its job."

"Why am I outside?" Roman whined. "I could be covering my notebooks with pretty crown stickers and crying until the sunsets."

"Hey, hey, no thinking like that. It will only decrease your already unhappy mood. How about we head down to the café, get some smoothies? The fruit in them will make you feel better."

Roman crossed his arms. "Vance dumped me at the café."

Logan paled but immediately responded. "Okay, so I'm going to get us smoothies from somewhere that is most definitely not the café, okay? You stay here and take a moment to relax, okay?

Roman nodded, "Thanks, Lo. You're the best."

Logan nodded and turned away, hoping he had succeeded in hiding his growing blush from the other male. "It's okay, Ro. It's not a problem- it never is, not for you, you being a very good platonic friend." Smooth.  Logan quickly walked away before he could embarrass himself.

"I appreciate it," Roman called out after him, a small smile forming on his lips.

"He likes you." Roman jumped and spun on his heels. A boy was standing on the fountain behind him, his heterochromic eyes meeting Roman's

"Holy goth boy batman- where did you come from?"

"The fiery pits of hell." The way the boy said it, so deadpan, Roman wasn't exactly sure if he was kidding.

"Really?"

"No, I just got out of band practice." The boy said, rolling his eyes. Roman huffed.

"Oh, cool." Roman knew his boy, he just couldn't be a finger on the name… aha! "You're Damien, right? I think we have home ec together?"

"Yup, you're the boy with the stickers."

Roman nodded. "My reputation proceeds me. I'm Roman."

"Roman… I've heard a lot about Roman recently." Damien looked him in the eyes again. "You just got dumped."

Roman winced. "If I did, it was for reasons completely unrelated to stickers."

Damien laughed. "I'm sure. How are you holding up? A broken heart is no small matter."

If he was honest, Roman was surprised that Damien, a boy he'd had about three conversations with, was concerned for his well being. "Me? I'm totally fine! Some people just can't handle me!"

Damien looked unimpressed. "Your eyes are red and your voice keeps cracking."

"Hmpft."

The other boy sighed from his position on the fountain. "You don't think Vance was in love with you?"

Roman huffed. "I never know! People are so annoying! They all lack the ability to communicate properly and show affection-  I wouldn't know if someone liked me if they came up right behind me!"

"Roman!" Roman turned on his heels and saw Logan peeking out a doorway. "I'm aware that your favorite smoothie is-" Logan proceeded to spell out Roman's overly complicated order. "-but is there anything else you need? They have red velvet cupcakes? With rainbow sprinkles? I know that's your favorite."

"Oh, that sounds amazing! Here, I think I have a few dollars-" Roman started to rummage around in his pockets.

"Not necessary, Ro. It's on me."

"Oh, really? Are you sure?"

"Affirmative." Logan ducked back into the café, and Roman turned back to Damien, who had jumped off the fountain and came closer to the brown haired boy.

"Can't show affection?" Damien grumbled.

"Mmhmm! As I was saying, Humans? Brick walls. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. They wouldn't know how to show lo-"

Damien stared at Roman like he was having a hard time processing what Roman was saying. "Riiiight. I think I might have something for you that will help your current…predicament."

"Huh?"

Damien pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, pulled something off it and stuck it to Roman's cheek. It was another sticker, this one a rather large red heart.

"Damien?  Did you just give me a stic-"

The other boy gave him a smile. "Abracadabra."

Then, Roman proceeded to faint.

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Roman's thoughts were murky as he started to wake up.  What had happened? He had been talking too that senior- Damien!- and Logan had gone out to get smoothies and cupcakes- so why did it feel like Roman was laying against his bed?

Patton's voice woke him up faster. His best friend sounded really worried? Had Remy gotten hurt at Track? Had he found out that Logan still was staying up late studying? Roman opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. So he was in his dorm.

"Should we take him to the nurse?' Patton fretted, and from what Roman could hear, was pacing.

"For what, a broken heart?" That was Remy.

Roman sat up and groaned, directing both boys’ attention to him. "Kiddo! You're okay!" Patton ran over to his bed and helped Roman up. "You gave us quite the scare, fainting like that! Logan had to carry you all the way to our dorm."

"Yeah, babe, he was really freaked. Totes unusual for him." Remy took a sip of his drink.

Roman squinted at his friends. There was something off here… oh, wait… that was new…

"Why are there stars above your heads? And that's a heart?" There were indeed stars and hearts above his friends' heads: four gold stars floating over Patton's, and three gold stars and one red heart over Remy's. Roman blinked a few times, but the images were still there. In the corners of his vision, he noticed something else. In the bottom left corner, there was a red and gold circle with the words: Roman, Level One cutting through it. In the top right, was a similar circle with the words: Dorms and Evening cutting through it.

What was happening?

Remy looked up but apparently could not see that floating images above his head. Patton looked two, and at the same time both boys muttered, "Oh, Roman.."

"And what's with this border thing? I'm on level one? What?" Roman shook his head a few times, trying to shake it off. "It's all around my vision- I can't get rid of it!"

"Ro, calm down! You probably hit your head when you fainted, It's okay." Patton, on his tippy-toes, placed his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Breathe, okay?"

Roman nodded and took a few, long breaths. The stars, heart and the weird border were still there.

"Roman, hun, we good now?" Remy asked. Roman simply nodded, even though he was most definitely not good.

There was a knocking on the door, and Patton removed his hands and went to answer it. "That's probably Lo! He went to get you some ibuprofen!"

Sure enough, it was Logan, carrying a little bottle in his hand. "Roman, I see you've woken up. You had me nervous for a bit there."

"Nervous isn't the word I'd use," Remy mumbled into his drink.

Roman sucked in a breath. "Logan?"

"Yes, that is my name." Logan turned to Patton. "Is he okay?"

Patton sighed. "It's been a long day, we're going to cut Ro some slac-"

"That's a lot of hearts." Roman blurted, because, in fact, floating over Logan's head were three gold stars and four red hearts.

"Hearts? Roman, do you require-" Logan continued to talk, but Roman subconsciously blocked him out. He raised his head to his cheek, and it rested on the sticker Damien had given him: the red heart.

[my-one-love-is-music]

Darling, You’ve Just Gotta Believe

So I'm soooo happy to have another installment of the Piano Verse for you guys!

BUT! This one is kind of special because it turned into a collab with this awesome guy who wanted to make some art for this fic! So you can view the art by @universeone-ft here!

It was so much fun to do a collab and I hope there are more in our future! :D

Also on AO3!

Tim let the last notes of the piece he was working on fade into the empty spaces of the practice room that he’d secluded himself in. He let his eyes open slowly, not even fighting the smile that was pulling at his lips. It had been a good day. He had a concert coming up and was a little nervous, but his love of the piano always seemed to override his nervousness or any uncertainty that came with performing. He found strength in the white keys of the piano and the cool touch they left on the pads of his fingers.

A knock sounded on the door of his practice room, nearly startling him. His head snapped to the side and he relaxed when he saw that it was only Steph waiting outside. He waved her inside and she grinned, pushing the door open.

“I found this sulking in the hallway looking lost,” she said before pulling Jason inside by the collar of his shirt.

He grumbled something under his breath and Tim watched as two spots of color bloomed on his cheeks. Tim grinned and turned on the piano bench so that he could face them.

“Thanks, Steph.”

She nodded and pushed Jason further into the room. “No problem. How’s the practicing going? The concert’s coming up right?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow night, actually. I’m just getting some last minute practicing in on this piano duet that we’re featuring. I’m meeting up with my partner later so we can run through it a couple more times before the big day.”

“Just don’t practice too much. You don’t want to overdo it and not have anything left for the actual concert.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’m pretty sure that I could play this piece in my sleep by this point.”

“Well, good luck. I’ll be there cheering you on in the audience. And I’ll leave the two of you alone. Don’t get caught doing anything scandalous in the practice room,” she said before ducking out the door.

“Steph!” Tim objected, feeling himself flush at the implications. He heard her laugh before the door slid shut. Tim cleared his throat and glanced at where Jason was standing next to the wall, his own cheeks pink.

“So…” Tim started. “Got lost in the hallway, huh? Funny when you know that I’m always in this same practice room.”

“Shut up,” Jason said gently. “I came to the door, but you just seemed so focused that I didn’t want to bother you. And I know that tomorrow’s concert is a big deal and I didn’t want to do anything that might throw you off.”

“So you were just content to wait in the conservatory halls until I was done? Or were you trying to leave before seeing me at all?” Tim asked, standing from the bench.

Jason shrugged and crossed his arms. Tim smiled and walked over to him, tugging at his arms until his grudgingly let them fall to his sides. Tim wrapped his arms around Jason’s shoulders and pulled him down for a kiss, lips ticking up at the edges when Jason’s arms wrapped around his back and pulled him close.

“So,” Jason said, breaking their kiss even as his hands began to rub comforting circles into Tim’s back, “are you ready for tomorrow? Excited? Nervous?”

Tim rested his head against Jason’s shoulder and let his eyes slide shut. “I think so. I really like this piece and it’s not the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to play. It looks difficult because there are a lot of fast passages and it’s a duet, but the notes and rhythms are all easy after playing through them a few times. I think you’d enjoy this piece, as much as you continue to try and swear off classical music.”

Jason huffed in exasperation. “It’s classical.”

Tim smiled. As much as Jason had been against classical music when they’d started dating, Tim knew that he was slowly getting him to warm up to it. He didn’t like everything that he encountered, but there were a few pieces that he’d shown him or Jason had caught him warming up on that had captured his attention. And Jason was sweet enough to go to practically all of Tim’s performances no matter when or what they were playing.

And then there were their performances at Treble Espresso.

Ever since their first performance as the Dueling Pianos, the customers at the shop had been begging for more and Kori hadn’t been afraid to rope Tim and Jason into playing more concerts for the local Gotham populace. Their practice sessions gave Tim a nice break from the rigors that conservatory life brought him and gave him some nice quality time with his boyfriend.

“You can keep denying it, but I know that you have a soft spot for classical.”

“Not for classical. Just for you,” Jason muttered.

Tim groaned and buried his face in Jason’s shirt. “You can’t just say that.”

Jason laughed. “Come on, do you still need to practice? Or are you free to come have lunch with me?”

“I think I can step away for a few minutes. I’ll have more time to practice tonight. And if lunch with my boyfriend is involved…”

Jason tugged him towards the door. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Wait, my sheet music.”

“It’ll be here when you get back. Doesn’t everyone know that this is your practice room?”

Tim pouted. “Yeah, but I’m practicing somewhere else later and I should make sure that I have it with me.”

Jason let out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine. I will patiently wait again while you collect your sheet music and pack up your things.”

Tim grinned and gave him a quick kiss before he gently shut the lid of the piano and not so gently stuffed his various papers back into his bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he went. Jason intertwined their fingers and pulled him from the practice room, barely giving Tim enough time to shut off the lights behind him.

Tim smiled as they stepped out into the sunlight. There was a cool breeze blowing through the air and fall could be sensed lingering just on the horizon with its promises of cool mornings, sweet spices, and warm sweaters. For now, he was more than happy to hang onto the lingering warmth and enjoy what he could of it. Even if that meant appreciating it from the inside because of how much time he spent with his piano.

“How are things at Treble?” Tim asked as they turned the corner away from the conservatory. “I know I haven’t gotten the chance to be around there much this past week with everything.”

“It’s okay. Kori and Roy want you to stop by soon. But they’ll see us when we have our next performance there. Some of the customers were asking about you, too. Wanted to know how things were going. I got some playing time in the other day. Not many people were offering up requests. I think they were satisfied to just sit back and listen to the music.”

“You weren’t giving them any previews of our next show were you?” Tim asked, nudging him.

Jason gasped and placed a hand against his chest. “I can’t believe that you’d accuse me of something like that! Just who do you think I am?!”

Tim laughed. “I think that you’re someone who gets far too excited about music and has a hard time keeping it to himself. Even when it’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“Hey, that happened one time. And it was only a snippet of what we were putting together. I’m pretty sure no one even remembered it. Or recognized what the actual song was when our performance rolled around.”

“Uh-huh, sure. And what does that say about the handful of people that came up to us after the show and made a comment about being so happy to finally hear the rest of what you’d been playing in the coffee shop?”

“You can’t prove anything, Timmy,” Jason said, pushing through the door of a small café. “I did nothing.”

Tim shook his head and rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t deny the smile that pulled at his lips whenever he was around Jason. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

Jason grinned. “You love me for my ability to woo you with my amazing piano playing.”

“Sure. Let’s go with that.”

Jason opened his mouth to protest, but Tim gave him a quick peck on the cheek and pulled him up to the counter so they could order. He grumbled under his breath, but Tim just ignored him in favor of looking over the menu board.

“I’ll have a club sandwich and an iced coffee. Jason?” he asked, already reaching for his wallet.

Jason put a hand on his to stop him. “I’ll have the Reuben and a coke, please.”

Jason pulled his own wallet free and Tim opened his mouth to protest. He handed over the bills and looked at Tim. “I brought you to lunch. Let me pay for it.”

“But you paid last time!” he objected.

Jason took the table number from the cashier and his change and turned to find an empty table, leaving Tim to scramble after him.

“I also invited you out last time, too. How about this: once you get through tomorrow night and get the chance to relax again, you can invite me out somewhere and I’ll let you pay,” he said evenly, snagging an empty booth near the back.

Tim sat down across from him, feeling slightly floored by how much thought Jason had given for him. Not that it should’ve been that much of a surprise. He’d been supportive since they started dating even if he claimed to be so anti-classical. He smiled instead.

“Okay.”

Jason raised an eyebrow at him, as though he didn’t believe him.

“I’m serious. Okay,” Tim repeated. “We can go to a movie or something. Or order pizza and have a night in. I’ve been so caught up in getting ready for this concert that I hadn’t realized how long it’s been since we’ve had some good quality time together.”

Jason shrugged. “You can’t help it. This is what you’re studying. And it’s probably going to be your future. I’m sure things are always going to get this busy around your concert times.”

“Are we still on to practice for our next Dueling Pianos performance this weekend?” Tim asked as their drinks and food was set in front of them.

Jason shrugged. “If you’re up to it. I’ve got some new ideas of what we can do for our next show. And maybe something Halloween themed when October rolls around. I think Kori had mentioned doing a costume night for Halloween or a nice party for any customers who want to come in. It would be a great opportunity for us.”

Tim smiled and popped one of the chips that came with his sandwich in his mouth. “That sounds like a lot of fun! I think I might have a few ideas of pieces that we can play.”

“That sounds a little terrifying coming from you,” Jason said, narrowing his eyes.

Tim shrugged. “You already know that I have a penchant for movie soundtracks. That’s all that you need to know for now.”

“That has not made me feel better in the slightest, I’ll have you know.”

Tim smiled around his food, gaze never straying from where Jason sat across from him for even a second.

~~

Tim sighed as Jake slammed his hands against the keys of his piano once again. They’d been at this for an hour already and were going through one of their worst run-throughs yet. He could feel a stress headache coming on and he was exhausted. But he knew that he wasn’t about to get out of this rehearsal anytime soon. Not with the way Jake had been acting all night.

“This needs to be perfect! We’re performing this tomorrow for fuck’s sake!” he burst, giving Tim a sharp look.

“Look, Jake-“

“Don’t ‘look, Jake’ me,” he snarled.

“Look, it’s going to be fine. It’s just the pre-concert nerves kicking in. We’ve played it practically perfect every rehearsal before this one. I’m sure that we just need a break and a minute to collect ourselves and it’s going to be fine. There’s really nothing to worry about.”

Tim could already feel his nerves mounting. This was something that had never happened to him before. Sure, it was his first time performing a piano duet with Jake in concert, but every show that he’d ever performed had never made his stomach twist in knots at the thought of being in front of an audeince. He’d always managed to play nearly everything correctly the days leading up to his concerts whether they were with full symphonies, small chamber orchestras, or even solos for competitions or showcases.

“That’s what you think,” he growled, slamming his hands against the keys again before standing abruptly and walking from the stage. The sound grated at his ears and made Tim want to console the piano for the poor treatment and respect that Jake was showing it. No instrument deserved that.

Tim was glad that they had the space alone that night to practice. The symphony had been there earlier that day for their rehearsal, but they wouldn’t all come together again until the next evening before the concert. He just hoped that they could get to a good enough place that would leave both of them satisfied and allow them to sleep that night. Sleep deprivation before a concert wasn’t something that he wanted to experience for the first time. Even if he could play all of the pieces in his sleep.

He reached down and snagged the water bottle that he’d stashed under his piano bench. He took a shaky sip, hoping the water would be enough to settle his nerves that were trying to cloud his ability to think rationally. This wasn’t the way he was used to practicing. This wasn’t the way he was used to feeling around the piano. Hell, he didn’t think he’d ever been this uneasy in the presence of his instrument before.

Practicing with Jason, hell, practicing with anyone else never left him feeling like this. It made him wonder what Jake had done to get the other half of the duet. Tim had practiced his ass off for it. Jason had watched him and listened when he was sure that it all sounded terrible. Jason had been the first person he’d texted when he found out that he got it.

The memory made Tim smile and brought back a bit of his calm. He took a deep breath and let it out, allowing the tension to fall from his shoulders. He felt empowered, like they could really do this. They just needed to calm down and take it again, that was all.

“What are you smiling about?” Jake’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked up to find him standing next to his piano again. Tim hadn’t even heard him come back in.

He set his water back on the floor. “Nothing. It’s not important. Are you ready to try again? I think that we can really do it this time.”

“Yeah, fine,” he said, sitting down on his bench.

“Hey, Jake.” Tim waited until he was looking at him before continuing. “It’s going to be fine. We’ll get this right tomorrow. I know that we will. We both just need to stay calm and keep focused on the music. We’ve practiced enough. We know it. Now we just have to play it.”

He rolled his eyes and placed his hands over the keys. “Whatever. If that’s what makes you feel better, fine. Let’s just get this right. I don’t want to be stuck here any longer than I have to be.”

“Okay…one, and, two and,” Tim counted off quietly.

The up-tempo notes filled the air quickly. It started off perfectly. Too bad for them, that’s how it had been going all night. They always managed to begin in sync, but something fell apart along the way. Tim just hoped that it would stay together this time. He wasn’t looking forward to the outburst that would no doubt come if they didn’t manage to get through almost the whole piece intact.

If they could just make it to the end, everything would be all right.

Tim just hoped that he wouldn’t be repeating the same thing to himself the next night when they were playing in front of a full auditorium, the entire symphony, and several of the conservatory faculty and funding board.

~~

Tim took a deep breath as he shuffled his music around. A cough out in the audience caught his attention in the silence. His bowtie felt too tight and he thought he was about to suffocate in the white button-down and his black tuxedo jacket.

Everything had gone practically perfect so far. Only someone who knew the pieces inside-out or had a score in front of them would’ve been able to tell when something had been off or gone wrong. But now it was time for the one piece that he’d been nervous about since the night before: Weiner’s Fox Dance for piano duet.

Jason had known that something was wrong when they’d talked last night after his rehearsal. He hadn’t been able to come out and say that it was because of Jake’s attitude. Jason knew that this performance was important to him. Every piano performance was important to him.

They could do this. Tim knew they could do this.

Steeling himself and placing his hands over the keys, Tim looked up at their conductor who was watching him and Jake with a smile on his face. He’d picked them himself. Had gone through all of the piano auditions and picked the two pianists who he thought had performed the best. Tim really hoped they weren’t about to let him down and crush the dreams that he’d had about this performance. If the stories that he’d heard were true, he’d been waiting months, if not years, to bring this piece to life in front of an audience.

With two quick movements, it began. Tim’s upper hand moved rapidly to accommodate the notes. It began as it had every time the night before: they were perfectly in sync. The treble and bass lines matching up how they were designed to in the true manner of a pianist’s duet.

Hums of interest reached his ears from the audience, but he chose to ignore them. He was going to stay in time with the conductor and with Jake even if it killed him.

He grit his teeth as they moved on to the next section, the rhythms becoming more difficult as they hit the off-beats of the faster time signature. He chanced a glance over at Jake and saw him becoming more hunched over the keys. Tim fought down the wave of desperation that began to rise in him. They weren’t even halfway through the piece and he looked like he was ready to fall apart.

“Not yet,” Tim mentally begged. “Please don’t let it happen yet.”

Tim took a steadying breath as they returned to a more familiar motif in the piece. They were close. They just needed to hold on a little longer. His gaze slowly moved back to the conductor who was looking far too proud when they’d only just made it halfway.

Then everything started to fall apart. One of the big things about the second half of the piece was the increasing number of notes that were played off the beat. It created a challenge for the both the pianists to match up the timing with themselves and the conductor.

Jake started to slip out of time and Tim knew that any effort he made to try and keep with him would fail as Jake’s own hands became out of sync.

The smile slowly disappeared from their conductor’s face and his expression became more pinched. Tim kept his eyes on the baton, not willing to see what else he was feeling. He nearly sobbed when they made it to the slower chunk of the song, but even that was out of tempo when Jake came in too early on the treble line.

Tim wanted this to stop. He wanted so desperately to just let his hands fall away until silence filled the concert hall. He wanted to apologize to everyone in the audience. He wanted to apologize to the conductor and even the orchestra because none of them deserved to bear witness to this.

White noise filled Tim’s ears as they played the last several bars. He didn’t even know what notes he was playing anymore. His hands felt heavy when he was allowed to lift them from the keys and let them fall to the sides. He stood numbly when the conductor directed them to do so. He saw more than heard the audience applauding them, but from some of the looks that he could catch through the blinding lights, it was more out of confusion than anything.

The audience was dissatisfied and confused, their conductor was unhappy, and Tim didn’t even want to know what Jake was feeling in that moment. Tim was just really glad that the concert was over because he really didn’t think that he would’ve been able to make it through another piece without really falling apart. He needed nothing more in that moment to just go home and curl up in bed and forget that everything existed.

Tim nearly sprinted from the stage when they were dismissed. He nearly made it to the side door before he was roughly pulled to the side and into a dark room and slammed into a wall. Tim fumbled for the light switch and was brought face-to-face with Jake who was absolutely seething.

“You ruined everything,” he hissed.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Tim argued. His sadness was quickly becoming replaced with anger, something he’d rather be experiencing in that moment.

“I’m talking about that shitty performance. That piece was supposed to be perfect and it was complete shit.”

“I’m well aware of that fact! Now, I’d rather go home and try to forget that just happened. That was one of the worst performances of my life.”

Jake pushed him harder against the wall. “I can’t believe he gave that part to you. You ruined everything!”

“Me?!” Tim asked in disbelief.

“Yes! You couldn’t even keep yourself in time with the conductor. The second things got to the more difficult sections you totally fell apart. You call yourself a performer?! You’re never going to be more than a wannabe professional.” Jake pushed himself away and stalked towards the door. “You might want to start rethinking your life or goals because you’ve seriously got no future as a pianist.”

He slipped out the door and left Tim alone. Tim stared at where he’d been, his words ringing violently in his ears. He wanted to go back to the white noise from earlier, because that would’ve been so much better than this new kind of hell. He covered his ears and slid to the floor, dimly aware that he was probably shaking from it all.

A vibrating from his pocket caught his attention and he pulled out his phone to find a text from Jason.

Jason: Tim are you okay?

He watched as another message came through.

Jason: You seemed a bit upset after that last piece.

Jason: I just want to know if you’re okay and if there’s something that I can do.

Jason: Please, Tim.

His phone started vibrating in earnest as Jason tried to call him. Tim ignored it and left his phone to the side. He felt hollow inside and stared at the carpet in front of him. He was dimly aware of the fact that he needed to leave, but he wasn’t ready to be confronted by anyone. He just wanted to be left alone.

~~

After an hour of waiting around inside the concert hall, Tim finally walked through the side door of the building. The sidewalks were empty which he was more than grateful for. He wasn’t in the mood to run into anyone, let alone someone who’d been at the concert.

The walk back to his apartment was lonely. He got a few more texts and another call from Jason along the way, but he ignored them all. He wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. Not in the face of that embarrassment. He knew that it wasn’t his fault. It couldn’t be. But Jake’s voice was still there in the back of his mind, telling him that he was the cause of everything.

Maybe he was right and Tim had done something that had messed them both up. But...their conductor would’ve mentioned it before during rehearsal if that had been the case, wouldn’t he?

Tim stared at where his dress shoes moved across the sidewalk in front of him. Maybe he wasn’t cut out for being a professional pianist after all. Maybe he should just give up and do what his dad wanted him to do and go to college for business or engineering. Something that would give him a ‘real job.’

“Tim!”

His head snapped up in shock. Jason and Steph were hurrying towards him, still dressed nicely from the concert. Tim was dimly aware that Steph was running towards him in heels.

“Tim are you okay? You weren’t answering your phone or responding to the texts that I sent you,” Jason said, searching his face.

“We wanted to make sure that you were okay,” Steph added. “When you didn’t come out after the concert finished, we were worried something had happened.”

“We came over here and when you didn’t answer the buzzer we thought you might not be back yet and decided to wait.”

Tim tried to put on a reassuring smile, but if Steph and Jason’s expressions were anything to go by, they didn’t buy it at all.

“I just need some time to be alone, okay?” he said, skirting past them so he could get closer to his apartment complex. “I’ll text you later, I promise.”

“Tim…” Jason said, taking a step towards him.

“Really, Jason. I’m fine. I’ll text you later.”

Before either of them could put up another argument, Tim pulled his key from his pocket and let himself into the building. He hurried up the stairs to his apartment and leaned heavily against the door as soon as he was inside.

He toed off his shoes and left the lights off as he walked through his apartment, pointedly ignoring where his piano sat in the corner. He didn’t think that he could handle looking at it in that moment. Not when everything was still so fresh and he’d been cut so raw.

Tim pulled his bowtie loose as walked through the hall, letting it fall to the floor with his suit jacket. He unbuttoned his pants and let them pool around his ankles before he reached the doorway to his bedroom, stepping out of them and working on popping the buttons of his shirt free. He let the fabric slide free from his shoulders and arms to the floor before he sat on the edge of the bed to pull of his socks.

He slid underneath the covers and sighed as they offered a comforting weight over his body. He shut everything from his mind and let sleep take him easily, hoping that it would be dreamless and long for once.

~~

Tim blinked his eyes open slowly. When he registered how bright it was in his room, he sat up in a panic to check the time. He got as far as throwing the blankets off of him in an effort to get up and hopefully make it to his later classes at the conservatory when everything from the night before came flooding back to him.

He let himself fall back onto the mattress as all concern about his classes and playing the piano drained out of him. He wasn’t ready to face everyone who’d seen what happened last night. And even if they hadn’t seen it themselves, they would’ve heard about it by now. Gossip rarely stayed in one place long when it came to musicians. He didn’t want any sympathetic looks, he didn’t want to see Steph, and he definitely didn’t want to see Jake. He’d be happy never seeing him again.

The muffled sound of what could only be his phone vibrating caught his attention and he reluctantly pulled himself from his bed. He shuffled over to his door and snagged his pants from where he’d left them the night before, pulling his phone from his pocket. He had several missed calls and texts from both Steph and Jason.

He scrolled through them hesitantly, unsure if he deserved their sympathy or their concern. He left his phone alone in favor of pulling on a pair of sweatpants so he could venture further down the hallway to the kitchen for some coffee.

He froze when he made it to the living room and caught sight of his piano. It was shining in the sunlight: gleaming and as beautiful as ever. The sight of it made Tim’s stomach churn. He couldn’t look at it. He didn’t even want to think about trying to play it.

He picked up his headphones from where they were sitting on the coffee table and plugged them into his phone, jamming the earbuds into his ears. He scrolled through his music as he shuffled into his kitchen and put on the one song that might even begin to help him get through the emotional turmoil that he was experiencing.

The music flooded his ears quickly, breaking through the silence that he’d been living in. He slipped a cup into his Keurig and got a mug ready below the spout before switching the machine on. He leaned against the counter as the music progressed, feeling more and more desperate as it continued.

There weren’t many times when the lyrics hit so close to home, but he was always aware of the big moments when he needed to pull it out. He just wished that for once he could actually bring someone in instead of having to rely on the lyrics of a song to make him feel better.

Before he even realized what was happening, the tears were streaming down his cheeks and he was taking shuddering breaths. He slid down against the cabinets and curled against his knees, desperate for the pain and humiliation of the night before to go away.

His phone vibrated again and caught his attention. It was another text from Jason.

Jason: Tim are you okay?

Jason: I know that you said you’d text me later, but I just want to make sure you’re alright.

Jason: I know what you must be experiencing right now can’t be easy, but I want to be here for you.

Jason: Please talk to me, Tim.

Jason: I don’t want you to feel like you have to shut me out like this.

Jason: I care about you so much and it hurts to see you this way so please text me back.

Jason: Tim, please talk to me.

Jason: I’m really worried about you.

Jason: Steph called me and said you hadn’t responded to her either.

Jason: I’m getting scared, Tim. I need to know that you’re there even if you aren’t okay.

The messages brought a fresh wave of tears as the song reached its climax. He didn’t deserve Jason’s kindness.

Tim gasped when his phone began to vibrate violently in his hand. He nearly dropped it and managed to keep it from sliding out of his grip just barely, but the movements caused him to accept the call.

“Tim?” Jason’s voice rang out.

Tim’s finger hovered over the ‘end call’ button.

“Please don’t hang up on me.”

Tim sighed and let his hand fall to the side.

“Look, I know that you’re not okay. Steph said that this has never happened after one of your performances before and I understand if you’re hurting, but I want to be there for you. Even if I can’t do much more than watch a shitty movie and eat pizza and ice cream, I want to do something for you. I…care about you a lot. I really do. And if I feel like I’m going to break after seeing the way you looked last night, then I can’t imagine what you must really be going through.”

“Jason,” Tim said tiredly. His voice sounded thick and scratchy from exhaustion. Jason could probably tell that he’d been crying.

“Tim…” he said hesitantly. “Please.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Can you talk to me? Please? I want to make sure that you’re okay.”

“Jason,” Tim took a shaky breath. He was already getting choked up and he hadn’t even recounted what had happened the night before. He wasn’t going to get out of this without crying again. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Baby, please…”

“Jason…please just listen. It’s going to be hard enough to get this out.”

He was silent for a moment. “Okay.”

“Last night was terrible. I’ve never given a performance so bad in my life. Or lived through one. I’m not sure what’s true anymore: if it was Jake who threw off the timing or if it was my fault, but…” he took a breath, glad that Jason was listening silently while he worked through everything that had happened. “I just wanted to get out after everything. I wanted to leave and get back to my place, but Jake confronted me.

“He said that it was all my fault that everything had gone as badly as it did. And that I had no hope of becoming a professional pianist. I knew that he was wrong and there was no way that I could’ve messed up that performance that badly, but as soon as he left…as soon as I was alone…”

“Those words suddenly became the truest thing that you’ve ever been told.”

“Exactly,” Tim said, trying to hold back a sob and only managing to cut it short. He placed a shaking hand over his mouth and took as steadying a breath as he was able. “I feel like there’s nothing that I can do. That I’m not good enough and I’m never going to be good enough.”

“Tim…you are an amazing pianist. Ever since I saw you play that first time in Treble Espresso I was blown away by your skill. And it was exciting. You were beautiful. You have more than enough talent to make it as a professional. I know that you can do it as long as you have the drive to keep going. That doesn’t mean that those things that Jake said didn’t hurt and your confidence hasn’t been upset. I want to help you get back to yourself. I want you to still be able to love music and to love playing the piano.”

Silence fell between the two of them. Tim wiped at his tears furiously, trying to get them to stop even as more kept coming. The smell of his coffee finally having been brewed, brought him back to his surroundings and he pulled himself onto shaky legs.

His gaze was immediately drawn to his piano and everything inside of him seized up at the sight of it. He dropped his gaze to the phone in his hand. Took in Jason’s crazy picture and found a small amount of stability in the ocean of emotions that had been his constant from the night before.

“Can you come over? Please?” Tim asked, quietly.

“Of course!” Jason answered quickly. “I’ll be there in 20.”

“Thanks,” Tim said before ending the call. He grabbed his coffee and headed back in the direction of his bedroom, gathering the pieces of his tuxedo as he went.

~~

Tim let out a shaky breath when the knock sounded on his apartment door. He pulled it open hesitantly, stepping back to let Jason in.

“Hey,” he said, quietly, taking the extra time to shut the door so he wouldn’t have to face the reason why Jason was there.

Warm arms wrapped around his torso and pulled him against Jason’s chest. Tim sagged against him, unable to keep up his poorly crafted façade any longer.

“I’m sorry, Tim,” Jason murmured softly.

Tim turned in his arms and buried his face in his shirt, twisting the fabric in his hands.

“Steph told me that your conductor from last night was looking for you. Apparently he chewed out Jake for his performance and wanted to thank you for doing your best even though the circumstances weren’t ideal.”

“I know you’re trying to help, but that’s really not helping right now.”

“Sorry, Tim…I just…I want to help this get better.”

“I don’t know how that’s going to happen. I can’t even bring myself to look at a piano right now, let alone play it.”

Jason shifted against him in a way that suggested he was looking into the living room where the piano sat.

“You may not be able to play it, but I might have just the thing.”

Tim reluctantly followed him into the living room. Jason sat him down on the couch, not intentionally facing him away from the instrument, but in a way that allowed him to sit however he was comfortable. Tim sagged against the back of the couch and looked down at where his hands were resting in his lap. He listened as Jason gently moved the piano bench and lifted the lid covering the keys.

He took a deep breath before the familiar chords started. Tim’s breath caught and his eyes widened. Even though Jason wasn’t singing the words, they came to Tim’s mind easily since he’d listened to the song so many times.

For a couple weeks he’d been pestering Jason to include Serenade for Two in one of their Dueling Pianos sessions, but Jason had always brushed it off, saying they could learn it later.

Tim lifted his head and looked over at where Jason was playing. He was moving slightly with the movements and had his eyes trained on the keys. He had the finesse of someone who’d played the song hundreds of times before and was doing something second nature even as he tried to seem like this was something that he hadn’t spent time practicing.

Tim slowly stood from his spot on the couch and walked over to the piano. He watched Jason for a few more seconds before he found the strength to speak.

“How…” he croaked and cleared his throat. “How long have you been working on that?”

Jason didn’t even pause as he answered. “Since you told me that you wanted to play it and I went home and listened to it for the first time. I know that you wanted to play it together, but I wanted to surprise you with it. I hadn’t figured out when yet, but now seemed as good a time as any. I know that you already know how to play it anyway,” he added with a small chuckle.

Tim reached out hesitantly, wanting to close the gap between them, but suddenly uncertain. He placed his hand over Jason’s once he reached the climax of the song, making him pause. Jason looked up at him and waited patiently.

Tim nudged him to the side and Jason made room on the piano bench for him. Tim took a shaky breath and hesitantly reached out with his hands, placing them on the keys for the chord that Jason would’ve gone to if Tim had let him continue. He gently pressed down and let instinct and memory take over.

Emotions welled up within him quickly: the pain from the concert the night before, his fears that he’d never be good enough, the love that he held for Jason, and the love that he’d almost always had when it came to playing the piano.

Tim’s hands stuttered as he fought to maintain his composure, but he didn’t let the mistake bother him because he was playing and that’s all that mattered.

He finished the song easily, letting the last notes fade into the past. His let his eyes open slowly when Jason’s hand came up to cup his cheek. He let himself be guided until he was staring in Jason’s eyes that were shining back at him.

“Jason…I…” Tim started.

Jason shook his head and gently kissed him.

“Thank you,” Tim said quietly when they parted.

“Tim…There’s something that I’ve wanted to say for a little while now-“

“I love you, Jason,” Tim interrupted, smiling a little at Jason’s expression as it froze.

Jason chuckled. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

Jason kissed him again.

“Are you going to be okay?”

He paused. He felt raw and exposed in everything that he wanted, but he knew that it was a start. It would take time to fully heal, but the future didn’t seem quite as foreboding.

Tim nodded. “It still hurts…what happened, but…it doesn’t seem as unbearable anymore.”

“Good, because I know that I’d never forgive myself if I let you give up on this.”

Tim smiled a little brighter and kissed Jason again.

~~

Tim took a deep breath as he stared up at the front of the conservatory. Jason had convinced him to go in for his afternoon classes and he wasn’t sure he was entirely ready to be here, but he had to come back eventually. And it would be better to get the humiliation over with sooner rather than later.

He pushed through the doors and was immediately hit with the comforting scent of old books and yellow sheet music that seemed to permeate everything. It never really made sense why the building smelled like that when only a fraction of the building was used to store music selections, but it was welcome after the night before.

He gripped the strap of his bag tightly and forced his feet to move forward towards the staircase. His theory class was on one of the upper levels and he wasn’t sure who he was going to run into yet.

“Tim?”

He froze and cringed at the sound of his name, turning carefully as he came face to face with Mr. Stewart: his conductor from the night before.

“Mr. Stewart.”

“I was hoping to speak with you this morning, but your friend Stephanie said that you were ill.”

Tim rubbed the back his neck, embarrassed. “I didn’t wake up feeling very well this morning. Upset stomach. But I’m feeling much better now.”

Mr. Stewart smiled gently. “I’m pleased to hear it. I wanted to talk to you about last night.”

Tim opened his mouth to apologize, but Mr. Stewart held up a hand.

“I’m truly sorry that you were forced to experience a performance like that. The times when we practiced during rehearsal would never have led me to believe that Jake could get so nervous in front of an audience that he would be thrown off so badly. I want to thank you for doing everything in your power to try and keep the performance together. I’m hoping to perform the piece again and am looking for another duet partner for you. However, since you have experience with the piece, if there’s anyone you know who would make a good fit, I’m more than willing to take suggestions and have them audition.”

Tim stared at him, mind racing. “I…um…thank you, Mr. Stewart.”

“You’re very welcome, Tim.”

“Wait!” Tim exclaimed as he turned to leave. He turned back to face him with a raised eyebrow. “For the auditions…would it have to be someone who’s studying at the conservatory, or would you be willing to bring in an outside pianist as long as they’re experienced?”

Mr. Stewart’s eyebrows furrowed in thought. “I’d have to audition them either way and I might need to get the permission of some other faculty, but if they’re competent and able to perform in front of an audience, I don’t see why we couldn’t make that happen. May I ask who you have in mind?”

“It’s someone who I play with often. His name’s Jason Todd and we perform together at Treble Espresso once or twice each month. He does really well in front of audiences. He doesn’t usually play classical music, but I might be able to convince him to take a chance on this.”

Mr. Steward started for a moment before he smiled gently.

“Give him the audition section that you have and let him practice it. I’ll see what I can do about arranging something with the faculty, but make sure that he’s aware that they might want to sit in on his audition.”

“I’ll let him know. Thank you, Mr. Stewart.”

“It’s my pleasure, Tim. Hurry off to class. I don’t want to derail you any further.”

Tim watched him walk away and felt a new sense of hope bloom in him.

Now all he needed to do was try and convince Jason to do the audition.

[recentanimenews]

Anime Recap: HxH, Resident Evil 2 Demo, Kingdom Hearts III & MORE!

Anime Recap is a weekly news show that brings you the latest anime news in bite-sized segments so you can stay up to speed on all the happenings in the world of anime! Here's our favorite highlights along with some helpful links so you can check out the stories yourself!

    Here are the full stories from today’s episode!

Hunter x Hunter: The Last Mission Movie Hits U.S. Theaters January 30

You'll Have One Shot at This Week's Resident Evil 2 Demo

JUMP FORCE Kicks Off Open Beta!

Another Chance to Demo Devil May Cry 5

Kingdom Hearts III Preview Pre-Order Bonus Keyblades

Sword Art Online Is on the Menu at New Collab Café

Take Your Darling to the New Urusei Yatsura Café

Final Fantasy XV's Ardyn Anime Set for February and Teased in Promo

All New Free! Anime Film Takes the Plunge in Summer 2020

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Gets Blu-ray Box Release in April 2019

Are you hyped about any of these new announcements? Let us know in the comments below!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com