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๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ | 15
หหห ambushed หหห

"You have no idea how you ended up being the middlewoman for Jungkookโs surprise birthday party. You also had no clue who Yejiโs brother wasโexcept, apparently, you did. And now, on top of everything, thereโs a hot teaching assistant who seems to be interested in you."
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โ๏ฝกยฐโฉ chapter details โฉยฐ๏ฝกโ
word count: 7,8k.
content: being unwillingly (not really) recruited for jungkook's surprise bday party, tae being a hater as usual, hobi as a mediator, yoongi gives 0 fucks about everything, discovering who Yeji's brother is, meeting new people, library encounters and naughty texts.
โง author's note โง
OKAY SO. Hereโs Chapter 15.
You absolute goblins hit the last goal in less than 24 hours, so naturally, Iโm raising the barโbecause I refuse to be outmaneuvered like this. Chapter 16 is already in progress, but you better give me enough time to finish and proofread it, or weโre gonna have problems.
Also, Iโm out of town this weekend, which means I probably wonโt be writing at all. Consider it my three-day break. SO TAKE IT SLOW. BREATHE. WE WILL REACH THE GOAL EVENTUALLY.
Anyway, this chapter was ridiculously fun to write because I finally got to have Y/N exchange numbers with Hobi and Tae. Also, Jungkookโs birthday is September 1st, and Iโm keeping that canon, soโฆ her getting roped into this party planning mess is hilarious to me (except, actually, not reallyโbecause free drinks. And letโs be real, Iโd also agree if someone covered my tab for the night).
ALSOOOOO. New character unlocked! What are our thoughts on the TA? Youโll see Jungkookโs perspective next chapter. :) (Reminder: weโre dealing with limited POVs here, so read between the lines. Itโs your job to play detective. These two are unreliable narrators, as we all know.)
Mwah mwah, Kiki off.
โ๏ฝกยฐโฉ read onโฉยฐ๏ฝกโ
ao3
wattpad
College syllabi should come with a warning label: May cause extreme boredom and online shopping addiction.
Your cursor hovers between two different scented candles on your screenโboth equally wrong for Emma's birthday.ย
Fresh ocean waves.ย
How is that not a standard candle scent?ย
You've scrolled through seventeen different websites and the closest you've found is "Sea Breeze" (too generic) and "Ocean Mist" (which, according to reviews, smells like "bathroom cleaner with a hint of desperation").
Professor Herrington drones on about post-modern literary theory, his monotone voice basically putting everyone to sleep.
Except Jimin, because next to you, his pen scratches across his notebook, meticulous notes forming in his neat handwriting.ย
Thank god for Jimin.ย
Your own notebook sits open with exactly three words written at the top: "Post-modern lit is..." The sentence remains unfinished because, well, you stopped paying attention approximately forty-two minutes ago.
Your phone buzzes against your thigh. Once. Twice. Three times in rapid succession.
What fresh hell is this? you wonder, sliding it out just enough to peek at the notifications.
ย +๐ (๐๐๐) ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ย created a new conversation
ย +๐ (๐๐๐) ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ย named the conversation "kafka my beloved"
ย +๐ (๐๐๐) ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ย added You to "kafka my beloved"
You blink at the notification. What the actual fuck?
You open the chat under your desk, finding only Yoongi's contact among two other +๐ (๐๐๐) ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ s.
ย +๐ (๐๐๐) ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ : ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
ย +๐ (๐๐๐) ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ : ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ :)
ย +๐ (๐๐๐) ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ : ๐๐๐ข ๐ข/๐! ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ :) ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐?
๐๐จ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ง: ๐ธ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข.
You stare at your phone, momentarily confused. Jungkook's birthday? Since when are you involved in anything Jungkook-related that doesn't involve slamming doors, fighting over Griffin, or... well, the other thing that nobody knows about?
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
A pause, and then:
ย +๐ (๐๐๐) ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ : ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐
ย +๐ (๐๐๐) ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ : ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ โฆ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐
Ah, of course. Mr. Artistic-and-Condescending himself. You quickly save his contact as "๐๐๐๐จ" and the other as "๐๐จ๐๐ข๐".
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐โ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ย
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐??
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐??ย
๐๐จ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ง: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข, ๐๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ข???
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข! ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข!
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐! ๐ฅณ
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐โฆ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐? ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐โ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐?
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐โ๐
๐๐จ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ง: ๐๐๐๐ ๐ท.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐... ๐ ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?? ๐ ๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐??
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข! ๐
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ?
There's a noticeable pause in the conversation, and you glance up to make sure Professor Harrington hasn't caught you texting. He's still gesturing wildly about stream of consciousness, completely oblivious.
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐?
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฝ
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐? ๐ ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ป
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐? ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! ๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ข?
๐๐จ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ง: ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ต๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ^
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ (๐ข๐๐) ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐พ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข? ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
Another pause, longer this time. You can practically feel the tension through the screen.
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ "๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐" ๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐?
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝ ๐๐๐?
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐ข/๐! ๐ซ
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐ ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ง: ๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โฆ
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ โบ๏ธ
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐? ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐?
๐๐จ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ง: ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข-๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข???
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐? ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
Your cheeks heat up as you remember exactly how you know Jungkook likes vanillaโspecifically, the vanilla-scented body wash you were wearing the night you ended up in bed with him.ย
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐???
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ง: ๐ท๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐! ๐ช
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐!
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐๐... ๐ ๐๐๐? ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐?
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐ ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐! ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐! ๐ฅณ
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐? ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐?
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐!
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐,๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐, ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ย
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ง: ๐ถ๐๐๐.
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข/๐! ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐! ๐
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
You bite your lip, thinking about exactly how "personal" things have gotten between you and Jungkook in the three weeks since you moved in.ย
If they only knew.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐ข๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐! ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข! ๐
๐๐๐๐จ: ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ง: ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐: ๐ข๐๐! ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐! ๐
You lock your phone just as Professor Harrington calls on someone in the front row to analyze a passage. Jimin gives you a side-eye that clearly says "I saw you texting the whole time," but he slides his notes closer to you anyway.
Now you have two birthday gifts to figure out, and somehow you need to convince Jungkookโthe guy you've been having no-strings-attached sex with for the past few weeksโto go to a restaurant without making it weird or suspicious.
And apparently there's some mysterious birthday trauma you're not allowed to know about.
Great. Just great.
You click back to the birthday options for Emma. At least one decision should be simple.
When the lecture finally ends, you let out a yawn so massive it feels like your jaw might unhinge. The kind of yawn that makes your eyes water and your whole body stretch like a cat waking up from a seventeen-hour nap.
"Could you at least pretend to pay attention?" Jimin taps you on the head with his pen. Not hard enough to hurt, just enough to be annoying. Like a woodpecker with perfect hair and a conscience.
You rub your eyes, smudging whatever mascara you bothered to put on this morning. "What for? I'll just jam it all in my head two weeks before the exam and I'll pass it. Always works."
"Until it doesn't," he says with that little smile that makes you want to both hug him and flick his forehead. The smile that says he's judging you but in the nicest possible way.
"Has worked for the past two years," you counter, shoving your mostly empty notebook into your bag. "I'm basically a professional at academic procrastination at this point."
Jimin slides his laptop into its case with the precision of someone who actually paid for their electronics themselves instead of guilting their parents into it like you did. He zips it closed and slings the strap across his body, adjusting it so it sits perfectly against his hip.
And then he just... stands there. In front of your table. Waiting.
It's such a small thing. Stupid, really.ย
But as you fumble with your pens and shove crumpled papers into your bag, you can't help but notice how he's just there. Not rushing ahead with a quick "see you later" thrown over his shoulder. Not walking out with other classmates while you're left scrambling to catch up.
He just waits. Patiently. Drumming his fingers against the edge of the desk in a rhythm that probably matches whatever song is stuck in his head today. His eyes wander around the lecture hall, watching other students file out in chattering groups.
You've only known Jimin for whatโthree and a half weeks?โsince the semester started, but somehow he's already figured out this thing that matters to you without you having to say it.ย
The waiting. The not leaving first.
A smile tugs at your lips before you can stop it. You try to hide it by ducking your head, but when you glance up, Jimin's looking down at you with one eyebrow quirked in question.
"Let's go to Jin's," you say, zipping your bag closed with more force than necessary. "Coffee. My treat."
"Alright," he agrees easily, but his eyes are knowing. "But just because it's your treat."
You roll your eyes. "Iโm not made of money."
"Says the girl who spent the entire lecture online shopping."
"That's different. That's for Emma's birthday." You sling your bag over your shoulder and start walking toward the exit. "And apparently I need to get something for Jungkook too now."
"Jungkook?" Jimin falls into step beside you. "Your roommate? The one you said, and I quote, 'has the personality of a wet sock with tattoos'?"
"Did I say that?" You wince. "That's a little harsh. He's more like... a slightly damp sock. With tattoos. And a cat."
"Uh-huh." Jimin holds the door open for you because of course he does. "And you're buying him a gift because...?"
"His friends are planning this whole surprise birthday thing and somehow I got roped into it." You step outside into the September sunshine, immediately regretting your choice of a black t-shirt. "I have to get him to some ramen place on Saturday without making it obvious."
"Sounds like a job for someone who actually likes him," Jimin says, adjusting his bag strap again.
"That's what I said!" You throw your hands up. "But apparently I'm the only option because Yoongi's too obvious or whatever."
You navigate through the crowded walkway, automatically stepping closer to Jimin when a group of skateboarders whizzes by.ย
"So what are you getting him?" Jimin asks.
"No idea. His friend suggested whiskey or photography books." You mumble. "But it feels weird to get him something when we barely know each other."
Jimin gives you a look that's a little too perceptive for comfort. "You live together. How do you barely know each other after almost a month?"
"We're not exactly having heart-to-hearts over breakfast, Jimin." You avoid his eyes. "It's more like ships passing in the night. Ships that occasionally fight over whose turn it is to clean the bathroom."
"Hmm." It's a noncommittal sound, but somehow Jimin packs a lot of doubt into that one syllable.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." He shrugs. "Just seems like there might be more to the story."
You nearly trip over your own feet. Does he know? How could he know? You've been so careful not to mention anything about your... arrangement with Jungkook. But Jimin has this annoying sixth sense about people.
"There's nothing to tell," you say, too quickly. "He's just my roommate. Who happens to need a birthday gift now."
"If you say so." Jimin mercifully drops the subject. "So what did you end up getting for Emma?"ย
"Nothing yet. I was looking at candles, but none of them are right. She likes ocean scents, but all the ones I found online smell like bathroom cleaner according to the reviews."
"What about that little shop on 12th? The one with all the handmade stuff?"
You blink at him. "What shop on 12th?"
"The one we walked past last week when you were complaining about your landlord's no-pets policy while simultaneously showing me fifty pictures of Griffin."
"Oh." You vaguely remember a storefront with crystals in the window. "I didn't notice it."
"Of course you didn't." Jimin's smile is fond. "You were too busy telling me how Griffin only knocks over Jungkook's things but never yours."
"Because it's true! That cat has taste. But yeah, maybe we could check out that shop after coffee? If you're not busy?"
โMaybe after coffee.โ
You stick your tongue out at him, and he laughsโthat bright, genuine laugh that makes it impossible not to smile back. It's weird having a friend like Jimin. Someone who waits for you after class and remembers the shops you walk past and doesn't make you feel like you're too much or not enough.
It's nice.ย
Really nice.
The bell chiming in Jin's shop shouldn't come as a surprise.ย
So it doesn't.ย
What does, however, is Professor Kim standing next to your university best friend Yeji as she animatedly complains about coffee to Jin, who looks like he's rolling his eyes so hard they might fall out of his head and roll across the counter.
You stop dead in your tracks, nearly causing Jimin to crash into your back. Your brain immediately halts its processes like you've just witnessed your high school principal at a strip club.ย
Because what the actual fuck is Professor Namjoon Kimโthe English department's golden boy who publishes in journals you can't even pronounceโdoing hanging out with Yeji?ย
It's like seeing your therapist at the grocery store. Or your gynecologist at a bar.ย
Some people just shouldn't exist outside their designated spaces in your life.
"Uh... hi Yeji?" you mutter, approaching the counter.
Your hand instinctively grabs the handle of your bag, clutching it like it might somehow explain this bizarre crossover episode of your life.
Jimin grabs your arm from behind, his fingers digging into your bicep as he tries to subtly pull you away. You can practically feel the panic radiating off him.ย
Makes sense.ย
Professor Kim is basically his academic idolโthe guy probably has Namjoon's journal articles taped to his ceiling like other people have posters of rock stars.
But your curiosity is stronger than your sense of self-preservation. It always has been.
"Why are you with Professor Kim?" you blurt out, gesturing between them with your free hand. "That's such an odd combination?"
Yeji turns around, her perfectly glossed lips forming a small 'o' of surprise before morphing into an amused smile. "You mean my brother?"
Brother?
You actually feel your mouth hanging open, but you can't seem to close it. It's like your jaw muscles have gone on strike.
"Your what now?" you choke out, eyes darting between them.ย
And holy shit, how did you not see it before? They have the same eyes. The same way of tilting their head slightly when confused. The same fucking dimples when they smile.
"Brother," Yeji repeats slowly, like you might not understand the concept of siblings. "You know, same parents, shared childhood trauma, occasional desire to commit murder?"
Professor KimโNamjoonโlets out a deep chuckle that somehow makes him seem less like the intimidating academic genius and more like... well, Yeji's dorky older brother.
"I didn't realize you two knew each other," he says, looking between you and Yeji with genuine surprise.
"We're in the same class for History of Modern Art," Yeji explains, then turns to you with narrowed eyes. "Wait, how do you know Joon?"
"He, uhโ" you start, but Jimin cuts you off, apparently having recovered from his initial shock.
"Professor Kim helped Y/N with her English assignment last week in the cafeteria," he says, his voice doing that slightly higher thing it does when he's nervous. "He's my Literary Criticism professor."
Jin, who's been watching this whole exchange with the entertained expression of someone witnessing a particularly juicy reality TV show, slides a cup across the counter.ย
โYour usual, Joon. Maybe this will help you process the fact that your worlds are colliding."
"Thanks," Namjoon says, accepting the coffee. "And it's not that weird. University's a small place."
"Not that weird?" you repeat, your voice climbing an octave. "Yeji's been my friend for almost a month and she never once mentioned her brother is the Professor Kim who's published in like, every major literary journal and is the youngest professor in the English department!"
Yeji shrugs, completely unbothered by your minor meltdown. "Why would I? It's not like I go around introducing myself as 'Yeji Kim, sister of Namjoon Kim, academic wunderkind.'"
"You absolutely should," Jin interjects, wiping down the counter. "It's much more interesting than 'Yeji Kim, girl who complains about my coffee being too bitter even though that's literally how coffee tastes.'"
"It doesn't have to taste like liquid punishment, Jinjin," Yeji fires back.
โCall me that again, I dare you.โ
She just sticks her tongue out at him.ย
Meanwhile, your brain is still trying to process this information. Yejiโyour friend who constantly convinces you to skip classโis related to the professor who casually dropped references to obscure literary theories while helping you with your paper. The same professor who Jimin practically worships from afar.
The bell chimes again, and Namjoon glances over your shoulder, his face lighting up with recognition.
"Jason! Perfect timing," he calls out, waving someone over.
You turn to see a man who looks like he walked straight out of an academic journal's "30 Under 30" feature. Dark wavy hair, green eyes, and a messenger bag settled against his thigh. He looks younger than Namjoon but carries himself with the same confident ease, minus the dorky energy Namjoon apparently reserves for his sister.
"Sorry I'm late," he says, approaching your little group. "Office hours ran long."
"Everyone, this is Jason Calloway," Namjoon introduces as the newcomer reaches you. "He's a teaching assistant in the English department, working on his PhD. Jason, this is my sister Yeji, her friend Y/N, andโ"
"Jimin Park," Jason finishes, nodding at Jimin. "From Literary Criticism, right? Front row, always has insightful questions."
Jimin looks like he might spontaneously combust from the recognition. "Y-yes, that's me."
"And Jin, the coffee wizard," Namjoon adds, gesturing to the barista.
Jin gives a curt nod, his โusualโ friendliness suddenly dialed down to about a three. "Professor Calloway."
"Please, just Jason," he insists with a smile that reveals perfect teeth.ย
(Of course they're perfect. The guy probably flosses twice a day and has never had a cavity in his life.)
His eyes land on you, and you feel weirdly self-conscious about the fact that you haven't brushed your hair since you woke up.
"Y/N, was it?" he asks, extending his hand. "I don't think I've seen you in any of the English department courses."
You shake his hand, noticing how firm his grip is. Like, professional-level handshake firmness.ย
โThat's because I'm not in Literary Criticism. Though Iโm friends with Yeji and uh, occasionally get help from her brother when I'm desperate."
"She's being modest," Namjoon interjects. "She wrote an excellent analysis of Joyce's symbolism in 'Araby' last week."
"Really?" Jason's eyebrows rise with what seems like genuine interest. "That's one of my favorite stories from Dubliners. What was your take?"
And suddenly you're discussing your half-assed paper with this unfairly attractive TA while everyone else watches.ย
"...so basically I argued that the bazaar represents this false promise of escape that ultimately just reinforces the narrator's entrapment," you finish, surprised at how coherent you sound.
"That's a compelling reading," Jason says, and he actually sounds like he means it. "Have you considered taking any of the modernist literature electives? Professor Harlow is teaching one next semester that would build on exactly those kinds of insights."
"Oh, I don't know ifโ"
"She'd be perfect for it," Namjoon agrees, nodding enthusiastically. "Y/N has a natural instinct for literary analysis.โ
You shoot him a betrayed look. Way to trap you in front of Hot TA.
"I'll think about it," you say, which is your standard response to any suggestion that might involve additional work.
"You should," Jason says, pulling out his phone. "Actually, I'm putting together a study group for students interested in modernist literature. We meet at the library on Thursdays. Nothing formal, just discussions. Would you want me to text you the details?"
Is he... is he asking for your number? Under the guise of academic enrichment?
"Sure," you hear yourself saying, even though the last thing you need is another commitment.ย
You recite your number as he types it into his phone.
"Great," he says, pocketing his phone with a smile that makes his eyes crinkle at the corners. "I'll text you the information."
Jin clears his throat loudly. "Are you ordering something, or just recruiting for your book club?"
"Black coffee, please," Jason says, unfazed by Jin's tone. "And whatever these two are having." He gestures to you and Jimin.
"Oh, that's not necessaryโ" you start.
"I insist," Jason says. "Consider it a thank you for the interesting conversation."
"I was going to treat Jimin," you protest weakly.
"Then you can treat him next time," Jason counters smoothly.
โComing right up," Jin says in a tone that suggests he'd rather be doing literally anything else.
"So, Jason," Yeji pipes up. โIn a scale of one to ten, how boring is it working with my brother?โ
โIโm literally right here.โ Namjoon rolls his eyes.
โIโm not talking to you.โ She nudges his shoulder.
And just like that, you find yourself observing Professor Kim engaging in sibling banter with your black cat girl friend.ย
Jimin just sighs.
Jason smiles.
And youโฆ You can't help the small smile that tugs at your lips.
Because heโs kinda cute.ย
And he thinks you're smart, which is... new.ย
And nice.
And probably easy and not at all like what you have to fight everyday back at home.
Jimin leans close to your ear. "Did you just get adopted by the Teaching Assistant?" he whispers.
"Shut up," you mutter back, but there's no heat in it.
You're too busy wondering why Jin looks like he's trying to murder Jason with his eyes as he aggressively steams milk for your latte.
You are going to kill Yoongi.
Not in a fun, theoretical way. Not in a haha, wouldnโt it be so funny if you just disappeared way. No, in a genuine, how dare you way. A why the fuck would you tell me that way. Because now you know, and itโs annoying.
Because who the fuck just collects vinyls without owning a record player? Seriously? Is Jungkook, like, a museum curator in his free time? A hoarder? A hipster? A tragic romantic who thinks the idea of playing them is better than actually hearing the music?
And why do you know this about him now? Why do you have to sit here, staring at your phone screen, realizing thatโwow, Jungkook actually cares about something other than his cat, his coffee machine, or sex?
(Not that you can complain about that last one. The guy is good. But anyway. Not the point.)
The point is: you need to get him a gift, and you had thought, for maybe five minutes, oh, a record player, thatโs easy, before the internet informed you that you are, in fact, an idiot. Because apparently, these things are not cheap. Not even close.
Like, two hundred dollars minimum. Minimum.ย
What the actual fuck? Are these things hand-carved by monks in the Swiss Alps? Does each one come with a vial of David Bowieโs blood?ย
No wonder Jungkook doesnโt have one. Knowing him, he probably wants some artisan audiophile masterpiece that costs a monthโs rent, because apparently, he only likes expensive shit. If his coffee machine is any indication, heโs the kind of guy who thinks โentry-levelโ is an insult.
So, yeah. Thatโs a dead end.
Which is just great, because why should it be easy to buy a gift for your stupid, annoying roommate? The same roommate youโoccasionallyโfuck. The same roommate who gives you pretty damn good orgasms (objectively speaking) but also apparently sometimes ties your shoelaces and carries your fucking laundry basket.ย
Not that those things mean anything. Heโs still annoying.ย
And this is justโฆ inconvenient.
Because it shouldn't be this hard. Emmaโs gift was easier. A candle. Because you know her. Have known her for years, since high school, since braces and straight Aโs and sleepovers in a house that wasnโt filled with the crushing weight of expectation.
Itโs not like you and Emma were inseparable or anything, but she was safe. Predictable in a way that your own life wasnโt. Parents who asked about school but didnโt make your worth dependent on it. A house that felt lived in, not curated for appearances. You spent whole weekends there sometimes, away from the asphyxiating worry and tightly wound smiles of home.
And yet, even with all that history, buying her a gift was easy. Thoughtless, almost. Because you know what she likes. What she always likes. Ocean scents. Easy. Done. But with Jungkookโ
You donโt know him.ย
Not like that.ย
Not in ways that make gift-buying easy.ย
You know what his mouth feels like on your skin, what he sounds like when heโs cumming, the way his grip tightens when you push him past the point of coherence.ย
You know he doesnโt just fuck, he devours, the way he lets himself lose control but never in a way that feels unsafe.ย
You know that Jungkook.
But this? This is something else entirely.
And itโs not like youโre overthinking it. You justโฆ refuse to get him something meaningless? Because, whatโhis friends are getting him stuff that matters to him, and youโre not gonna make yourself look stupid by giving him a random mug.ย
And clearly, a vinyl player is out of the question because you are not spending two hundred dollars on this man.
Because, get real. Youโve known him for a month.ย
Maybe you should just go with the whiskey. Or the macarons. Or whatever the hell else his friends suggested.
But the thought of it doesnโt sit right.
It should. It should sit right.
But it doesnโt.
And then Jason is holding the door open, and Jimin is nudging you through like youโre some kid hesitating at the threshold of a dentistโs office. You shoot him a glare, but he just raises his brows in that infuriating way that says get a move on, and okay, fine.ย
You step inside the library.ย
Itโs its usual hushed, sterile selfโmuted conversations, the soft clatter of laptop keys, the occasional rustle of a page turning. Youโve spent enough time here that the whole place feels mapped into your brain, familiar in a way thatโs more about necessity than comfort.
Jason, of course, is completely at ease, like someone who actually enjoys being in academic settings. He had mentioned he could help you both out with your subjectsโliterary criticism for Jimin, contemporary poetry for youโand maybe the whole thing should feel a little weird.ย
Because it is weird.ย
Jason is a teaching assistant. Heโs basically one step removed from a professor, and getting study help from someone who could realistically grade your future papers seems like it should be against some kind of rule.
But also, heโs attractive. And if you have to suffer through an afternoon of studying, you may as well have something nice to look at.
And okay, itโs not just that. Heโs actually competent. He seems interested in the material, which is already more than you can say for yourself when it comes to dissecting yet another pretentious poem that somehow manages to say absolutely nothing in fourteen unnecessarily complicated lines.ย
And if he makes studying less of a slow, painful death?ย
Well. Thatโs a deal worth taking.
So you walk. And you do it carefully, because the last thing you need is to trip over your own feet and make a spectacular fool of yourself in front of Jason and his perfectly effortless, I-have-my-life-together aura.ย
Jimin moves ahead, leading the way like he always does, because he has a whole system for this.
The table. Your table. The one tucked away far enough that nobody bothers enforcing the stupid beverage policy, even though Jimin swears thatโs not the only reason he picks it every time. But to get there, you have to take the lift, which means a little more walking, a little more weaving through the maze of bookshelves and seating areas.
Youโre mid-step, following Jiminโs path, when the hairs on the back of your neck suddenly stand on edge.
Itโs instant, sharp, like someone just screamed your name in the dead silence of a church. Except no one did. Nothing changed. The library still hums with the same subdued energy, people still absorbed in their own work, butโ
Your head turns before you even realize why.
And there he is.
Jungkook.
Sitting at a table to your left, laptop open, fingers resting on the keyboard like he was mid-typing before he got distracted.ย
And yeah, he is distracted, because his eyes are lifted from the screen, gaze settled on the girl beside him. Sheโs leaning in, whispering something, lips barely moving, and whatever she saidโwhatever it wasโmakes his mouth quirk up at the corner in that stupid, smug way that he does when he thinks heโs being effortlessly charming.
It shouldnโt be interesting.
But for some reason, your feet almost stutter.
Itโs like your body noticed him before your brain did, like some ridiculous internal Jungkook radar just activated without your permission.
And you hate that.
Hate that heโs even registering in your periphery, let alone taking up any space in your thoughts.ย
But your eyes are still on him. And worse, his shift.
His gaze drifts from the girlโslowly, lazily, like heโs not in any rushโuntil it lands on you.
And that is the moment that something tightens in your chest.
Because now heโs looking. Now he sees you, standing there, caught in this stupid little moment of unexpected eye contact. And if thereโs one thing you hate, itโs that Jungkook is the type of person who notices things.ย
Apparently.ย
Because since when do you notice he notices things?
And then his gaze drifts.
Past you. Over your shoulder. Taking in the presence behind you like heโs cataloging it.ย
Jimin, probably. Maybe Jason.ย
Either way, something shifts in his expressionโnot dramatically, not like some big revelation, just the smallest flicker of recognition.
But then?
Then thereโs the eyebrow.
A small quirk, barely there, but unmistakably him. The way it pulls up, just enough to suggest somethingโquestioning, curious, maybe vaguely amused.ย
Or maybe not amused at all. Maybe something closer to why the fuck are you here? Or who the fuck is that? Or is this really what weโre doing today?
Like you have any idea.
Like you even know what it is about this moment that makes your stomach do something unpleasantly close to twisting.
Your shoulders pull up in an easy, practiced shrug, the universal sign for why the fuck do you care? Because, really, why does he?ย
Or does he?
Whatever. Youโre here to study. With Jimin. And Jason, apparently. Who happens to be helping. And also happens to be attractive. And none of that is Jungkookโs business.
Except now you have to keep walking.
Which, for some reason, feels like an entirely different task than just existing a second ago. Like thereโs a new weight to it now, something too aware of the fact that heโs watching.ย
You should just go. Pass by. Move on. But your body is hyper-conscious of every step, every shift, every inch of space between you and the table where Jungkook sits, his laptop open, his fingers still hovering over the keyboard like heโs supposed to be typing.
But isnโt.
And then Jimin is stepping ahead again, and Jason is right beside you, and thereโs no reason for you to hesitate even for a second longer.
So you donโt.
You just keep walking.
And you feel him keep staring.
And then youโre sliding into a chair far away from him (thankfully), whilst Jimin settles across from you. Jason takes the seat to your left, close enough that you catch a whiff of something woodsy and expensive.ย
It's fine. This is fine. You're just here to study, not to think about the way Jungkook's eyes followed you or how his stupid eyebrow quirked up like he was asking a question you couldn't quite decipher.ย
So you reach for your bag, fishing out your contemporary poetry textbookโa tome so dense it could double as a weapon in a pinch. The cover stares up at you, all pretentious font and abstract artwork, like it's judging you for not appreciating its profound literary significance or whatever.
But before you can even crack it open, your phone buzzes against your thigh. Once. Twice. Like it's impatient, demanding attention right fucking now.
With a sigh that's more dramatic than strictly necessary, you pull it out, already knowing who it's going to be. Because of course. Of course he can't just let it go.
๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝ๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
You stare at the screen, torn between annoyance and something dangerously close to amusement. Because really? That's what he's going with?
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โt ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐??? ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐คจ
The reply comes faster than you expected, like he was waiting with his thumbs hovering over the keyboard.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
You snort, earning a curious glance from Jimin. You wave him off, mouthing "it's nothing" even as your fingers are already tapping out a response.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐
You bite your lip to keep from smiling. Because it's not funny. It's not. He's just being an ass, as usual. But there's something about the quick back-and-forth that feels... familiar. Easy. Like verbal sparring but without the weight of having to actually look at each other.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
There's a pause. Longer this time. You imagine him glancing at the girl next to him, maybe offering some half-assed excuse for his distraction.ย
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐๐ข
You roll your eyes so hard it almost hurts.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐... ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.ย
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐โฆ
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐?
Another pause. This one feels different. Heavier somehow. Like he's weighing his words, which is ridiculous because when has Jungkook ever carefully considered what comes out of his mouth?
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐?
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ? ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Thereโs a pause.ย
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข
And there it is. The question you knew was coming but still somehow catches you off guard. Because how do you explain Jason? How do you casually mention that you're getting extra help from an attractive TA without it sounding... like something it's not?
Not that it matters what Jungkook thinks. Because it doesn't. At all.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐. ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐
You hit send before you can overthink it. But as soon as the message goes through, you feel a knot forming in your stomach. Like you've said too much. Or not enough. Or just... something.
The typing bubble appears. Disappears. Appears again.ย
What the hell is taking him so long?
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐
That's it? Hmmm? What the fuck does that even mean?
You're about to type out a snarky reply when Jason leans in, his shoulder brushing against yours.
"Everything okay?" he asks, voice low enough not to disturb the library's hushed atmosphere.
"Yeah," you say, maybe a bit too quickly. "Nothing important."
Jason nods, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Well, whenever you're ready, we can start with Sylvia Plath's 'Lady Lazarus.' I think you'll find her use of Holocaust imagery particularly interesting in the context of personal rebirth."
Great. Just great. Holocaust imagery and personal rebirth. Exactly what you need right now when your brain is too busy trying to decode Jungkook's monosyllabic response.
Your phone buzzes again.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ย
You blink at the screen. Because what the actual fuck?
And maybe you stay there, waiting for another message that doesn't come. Which is stupid because there's nothing to say. You're here to study. He's... doing whatever the hell he's doing. That's it.
So why does it feel so weird?
"Y/N?" Jimin's voice cuts through your thoughts. "You with us?"
You look up, suddenly aware that both Jimin and Jason are watching you expectantly. Waiting for you to join them in the exciting world of modernist poetry or whatever the hell you're supposed to be doing.
"Yeah," you say, shoving your phone into your bag with more force than necessary. "I'm here. Let's do this."
But as you flip open your textbook, you can't shake the feeling that heโs here. Not watching you, because youโre nowhere near him right now. But itโs like his presence hovers in an inconvenient way.
Fuck Jungkook and his stupid, cryptic texts. Fuck him and his ability to get under your skin with just a few words. And fuck you for letting him.
You've got poems to analyze and a cute TA to impress.ย
That's what you're here for.ย
That's all you're here for.
So. Thirty-five minutes.
Thatโs all it takes.
Thirty-five minutes of Sylvia Plath and Jasonโs smooth, perfectly enunciated explanations. Thirty-five minutes of Jimin occasionally sighing like heโs reconsidering his entire major. Thirty-five minutes of not thinking about Jungkook. Of not wondering if heโs still at that table, if heโs still watching, if heโs stillโ
Ding.
Your fingers tighten around your pen. You already know.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?
You exhale sharply through your nose, tapping your phone awake under the table.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ข ๐น๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐???
It takes less than three seconds for the typing bubble to appear.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐???
โYour focus seems to be slipping.โ
You blink up at Jason, whoโs watching you with a raised brow, his fingers still resting lightly on his open book. Jimin doesnโt even pretend to hide his judgment, lips twitching as he leans back in his chair.
โSorry,โ you mutter, stuffing your phone between the pages of your textbook like itโs a bookmark instead of a distraction. โJustโuh, go on.โ
Jason doesnโt push, but Jimin gives you a look.ย
Your phone buzzes again.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ โ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐โ
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐. โ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐โ
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก. ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐โ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐.
The typing bubble appears again, then disappears. Then again. Thenโ
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Your heart skips.
Which is stupid. Stupid. Because why? What about that message is even remotely heart-skipping-worthy? Itโs a statement. A fact. A piece of information you didnโt ask for and definitely donโt care about.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ขโฆ? ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐???
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
And, okay. Thatโs fine. Thatโs totally, completely normal information. Heโs in the bathroom. On the second floor. Youโre on the second floor. Thatโs fine.
So why does your stomach feel weird?
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐โ๐๐๐๐
Your fingers freeze over the keyboard.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐๐?
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐??
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
Your breath catches, pulse flickering against your throat.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ย
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐?
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐??? ๐ข๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐? ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐???
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐. ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐. ๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐. ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐คจ
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐ก.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ ๐๐๐๐๐
Your stomach tightens.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ข?
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ข๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐?
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ข๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ?
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐โ๐.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ข๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐โฆ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐.
Your thighs press together under the table. Fuck.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ก
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐?
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐?
Your fingers flex around your phone, the heat creeping up your spine as your pulse stutters.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ข๐๐๐?
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐๐ข
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐๐
You swallow.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐ข
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐?
You freeze.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐๐๐ข๐๐
Jasonโs voice cuts through the heat simmering in your phone.
โYouโre smiling.โ
Your head snaps up. โHuh?โ
Jason nods toward your phone, amusement playing at the edges of his lips. โWhoโs got you so entertained? Boyfriend?โ
You blink. Brain short-circuits for half a second before you manage, โWhat? No. Not at all.โ
Jimin, the absolute menace, hums. โShe wishes.โ
Your foot connects with his shin under the table. Hard.
โJesusโโ He winces, rubbing his leg.ย
Jason chuckles, leaning back in his chair. โSo youโre single, then?โ
His tone is casual. Smooth. Like heโs just making conversation, not fishing. But you see it. The way his gaze lingers just a little too long, like heโs waiting to gauge your reaction.
You shrug, feigning indifference even as your pulse betrays you. โYeah.โ
Jasonโs smile widens slightly. โInteresting.โ
Your phone dings again.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐: ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?
Your jaw clenches. You exhale through your nose. Mutter a quiet, โmotherfucker,โunder your breath.
Jimin raises a brow. โSomething wrong?โ
โNothing.โ You shoot off a reply before you can overthink it.
๐๐จ๐ฎ: ๐๐๐
Then you lock your phone, shove it into your lap, and try to ignore the way your stomach flips.
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Set breakdown time! Next up: Niko's room.
As before, I've circled the points of interest and numbered them to make them easier to talk about. Cool? Cool. Let's do this!
1: Niko's mom's name! This part is her and Niko's surname. The kanji are ไฝใ
ๆจ.
ไฝ โ sa, meaning help or aid
ใ
โ an iteration mark. When you see this, basically it means "exactly what the last one said, one more time." So another sa meaning help or aid
ๆจ โ ki, meaning tree
It's really neat that they picked a last name for her that doubles down on her role in the narrative. Just like Niko is there to support and help other characters in whatever way they seem to need, her surname hammers it home by including ไฝ not once but twice.
2: Riza (ใชใถ) Niko's mother's given name. Somewhat odd here is that it's written in katakana and not kanji. Without getting sidetracked too much (you can pop over here to read more if you're interested) most Japanese people write their names in kanji.
Katakana seems like a bit of a strange choice here, unless a) Niko for some reason doesn't know the kanji for her own mother's name (weird, given that she's in high school) b) her mother is a foreigner (a possibility; foreigners usually write their names in katakana) c) the set designer/whoever prepped the letters didn't know the appropriate kanji for "Riza" (seems unlikely, given how accurate all the rest of this is) or d) some sort of personal habit. An interesting side note is that her letter to Niko also puts Niko's name in katakana.
3: Cutesy stationery, used for marking your place in a document or book
4: A cute blue purse!
5: Watermelon! Judging by the shiny material and placement near the other bag, I'm going to guess this is another purse
6: Niko's clothes :>
7: Pink luggage
8: Lots of instant noodles
9: A rice cooker
10: Rice vinegar
11: This girl LOVES her some plants
12: Probably food itemsโฆ? The one on the right looks like it might be a five-pound bag of rice, but I don't recognize the brand
13: Lots of unwashed dishes
14: A toaster oven
15: Chopsticks
16: A cute octopus pillow. I think I saw someone mention that it's from Ikea :>
17: She often leaves dirty dishes sitting on the bedside table
18: A painting of what seems to be a skyscape
19: Brightly colored pillows
20: Metal art in the shape of a moon
21: A decorative window hanging
22: More plants :)
23: Candles
24: Her tv
25: Cute pens with pompoms on the end
26: Regular tape
27: A cute cat statue
28: Marble Pop Ramune, strawberry flavor. Ramune is a type of soda that's a popular festival drink in Japan. It's sealed with a ย glass marble and you have to pop the marble down into the little catch basin before you can drink it.
29: Anime wall dรฉcor
30: Fruit jelly cups. In Japan, small gelatin based snacks like this are popular. They're tiny, about an inch tall, and you eat them in just one or two bites.
31: Niko's laptop. She has stickers on it
32: Washi tape! It's decorative Japanese tape, often with bright colors and patterns, used for crafting.
33: A lot of cute magnets, including the bunny one, which serves double-duty as a kitchen timer
34: Niko's grocery list. The only thing on here that's here because she wants it is strawberry ice cream. The rest of the items, licorice tea, manuka honey, and Epsom salts, are all natural remedies. She's been trouble-shooting how to get rid of the effects of the sprites. She knows she's sick, but not why
35: Cutesy craft supplies! Sequins, glitter, and pompoms
36: More washi tape!
37: Niko's manga collection. She is that particular brand of organizational mess that does not put her numbered volumes in order. She has made an exception for the series that makes a complete picture when you line them up, though
38: More plants :)
39: Manga posters! Issho is one of the series that she has on her shelf
40: A decorative jar
41: Little metal bird sculptures
42: What seems to be the only framed picture in her room. The angle is wrong to see what the photo is, but it's interesting that they added just one in here. Maybe it's her familyโฆ?
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Collection of nrmt/klpl fics!
An oomf on Instagram asked if I could compile all my favorite Ace Attorney fics! They are all and Wrightworth and Klapollo fics. The first few are my favorites (usually means they made me cry or emotionally impacted me ๐ง) but I like all the others I linked here ofc as well! Many of these came from rec lists on tumblr, because thatโs how I started out reading aa fics!
Wrightworth fics
Legal Partners by Miggy, 132k words, 34/34 chapters, 2013
Summary: Miles Edgeworth isn't totally sure how he ended up in this bet to demonstrate the strength of his and Phoenix Wright's (entirely professional and platonic! really!) relationship, but he knows it's Klavier's fault.
Absolutely one of my most favorite fics ever, Iโm not gonna lie. Genuinely so good. I was clutching my phone the entire third act of the fic, absolutely ridden with anxiety. I read for 12 hours straight that third act, during exam season, eyes absolutely bloodshot and had a splitting headache by the end because I was staring at my phone for far too long. Itโs so good.
I think my biggest qualm I have with this master class of a fic if I had to say, would probably be the characterization of Klavier? he feels too straight in this I donโt know how else to put it. But honestly itโs so minor I donโt really care and Iโve read this twice (which I never do)
Project Matchmakers by WingSongHalo, 126k words, 16/16 chapters, 2018
Summary: It was quite distressing, Pearl thought. For years previously, she had been quite fixated on the idea of her cousin and Mr. Nick living happily ever after. Even after she had accepted that this would never happen, she was always somewhat enamored of the idea that one of them would someday be caught up in a whirlwind romance, passionate and adventurous.
So she was rather surprised to find herself immensely enjoying the steady, familiar relationship she saw between a defense attorney and a prosecutor. It wasn't loud or flashy or wild, but calm and reliable and quiet. Rather than a blazing fire that consumed everything, theirs was an affection like a candle flame, bringing forth light and warmth.
Well, except for when they were in court. Then they were rather more like two overzealous flamethrowers.
An excitable group of girls (and a reluctant Apollo) team up to make Phoenix and Miles realize they're crazy about each other. But are such measures really necessary?
Canon universe.
Loved this one. Very good. I loved the side casefic it had and how it affected the main characters as well. I love the everyone ships wrightworth trope so much.
A Night Youโll Never Regret by MaudMoon (Idle_Wanderings), 88k words, 7/7 chapters, 2018
Summary: After learning about a clerical error on their wedding certificate, Maggey and Gumshoe decide to go all out and invite their friends and family to a vow renewal ceremony in Las Vegas. Edgeworth, spurred on by his sister's threats encouragements, decides to use the trip as an opportunity to express feelings he's been holding onto for years.
However when Edgeworth, Larry, and Phoenix wake up the morning after Gumshoe's bachelor party, it doesn't take them long to realize things didn't go as planned: Edgeworth's cards have been declined, Larry has been mysteriously injured, and Phoenix wakes up wearing a wedding ring. And, to top it all off, Gumshoe is missing. They'll need to rush against time to find Gumshoe before his wedding, and to do that they'll need to figure out what the hell exactly happened last night.
Soooo good! I love the mystery aspect of it all and everyone recounting and slowly piecing together what happened. Itโs very sweet too and also kinda nsfw be warnedโฆ. also Maya x Rhoda was definitely not what I was expecting tbh
To play due process like a fiddle by Harmony, 19k words, 1/1 chapters, 2024
Summary: As far as Miles can tell, Agent Lang's initial impression of certified hot mess Phoenix "That Man" Wright upon their first meeting wasn't exactly the most positive, and tragically enough, it's not like Miles can really blame him for having that perception.
That said, they both probably should've known that Phoenix hadn't been named the Turnabout Terror for nothing.
(Or: what it means to judge solely based on first appearances and then have all of your expectations rocked off-balance, especially when they revolve around one of the most outstanding attorneys the criminal justice system has ever known).
Deeeeeelicious. So good. Love the tension between Phoenix and Lang and them essentially kinda fighting for Edgeworth even though itโs a very skewed battle against Lang. Aaaagh
A fool in love (with you) by gen, 17k words, 1/1 chapters, 2016
Summary: Miles and Phoenix (finally, no really, after two years of being engaged) decide to tie the knot. On the day of the wedding, they are reminded of all the moments that got them there.
Sooooo cute! This one helped inspire me for my last chapter of my own wrightworth fic actually! This author actually wrote a klapollo long fic Iโve been meaning to check out actually, called The Sound of Silence. Iโve been scared off by how heavy the warnings of the angst ahead are ngl. But this one shot in contrast is very fluffy and sweet!
A Beginnerโs Guide on how Not to Write Steel Samurai Fanfiction by chameleonwrites, 16k words, 6/6 chapters, 2021
Summary: Verity Baytum, a court stenographer, has a secret passion for writing Steel Samurai fanfiction based around the pairing Magisteel. When she finds an unlikely source of inspiration during her job, she can't help but watch court proceedings in search of further lines that fit her fics.
Miles Edgeworth, said source of inspiration, has a secret passion for reading Steel Samurai fanfiction based around the pairing Magisteel. It doesn't take long for him to realise the reason the characters sound like him and Wright is not due to personal projection.
I really liked this one, itโs very funny and sweet. I also realized this fic kind of predicted the name Verity for an AA characterโฆ
Yours, Mine, and Maybe Ours by estelraca, 13k words, 1/1 chapters, 2015
Summary: Phoenix convinces Miles to bring Trucy in with him for Bring Your Daughter to Work Day, despite Miles' misgivings. Everything becomes even more complicated when Kay Faraday and Shi-Long Lang call on him for assistance. Set between the original trilogy and Apollo Justice; mild spoilers for both Investigations games.
Loved this one! I really like any fics with Trucy as a bigger character (wow who knew look at all my SNS accounts with trucy pfps) especially ones that delve deeper into her relationship between her and Edgeworth.
The Prosecution Rests by Commander_Freddy, 4k words, 1/1 chapters, 2016
Summary: Miles Edgeworth goes to bed, and then wakes up.
Very good. Short but impactful and angsty and sweet. Commander Freddy has some other very good AA fics you should check out also.
Archeology by sunsmasher, 8k words, 1/1 chapters, 2014
Summary: Phoenix and Maya finally clean out Mia's office. Far, far too many people help.
Very short but very good. Deals with Mia grief and also has side Wrightworth content.
To Their Happiness by ,,,,, 41k words, 10/10 chapters, 2024
Summary: Trucy Wright sees that her daddy's friend, Miles Edgeworth, makes him happy in a way she can't. She knows he's sad and lonely, despite trying his best to hide it from her. She makes a promise to herself that she would try to have Miles around as often as she could, for his happiness.
Or, an evolution of Wrightworth's relationship through Trucy's eyes. Trucy and co. sees Phoenix and Miles feel that special way that adults feel for each other and tries to matchmake them. It's mostly Trucy doing that, though.
teehee. you think I wouldnโt go without promoting my OWN fic? you thought wrong!!! Iโm also working on a Klapollo fic (itโs like 37k words so far) but Iโll be lucky if it gets uploaded by the end of 2024 with the pace Iโm writing it at. Itโs so close to completion thoughโฆ
Klapollo fics
Hot for Justice by indirectkissesiniceland, 43k words, 26/26 chapters, 2013
Summary: After the events of State v. Misham, Klavier finds himself in a slump, stressed at the prosecutor's office and unable to pen new songs. To his surprise, he finds creative inspirationโand unexpected feelingsโspending time with Apollo. Now if only he could release the new tracks without raising any suspicion as to whom his love songs are for.
God, is there a klapollo fic rec list without Hot for Justice on it? Itโs such a classic, and rightfully so. This fic also inspired me as well to write my next fic! Itโs just this good.
Vacation All I Wanted by JJsADragon, 111k words, 24/24 chapters, 2020
Summary: โA vacation?โ Apollo asked.
โYeah! You know what a vacation is, right Polly? When are you going to get another opportunity like this? A beach vacation? A pool? Itโs not like you could afford this place without splitting the cost.โ
One condo. Six lawyers. Seven secret plans. What could possibly go wrong?
This fic is like. A need I go on? Moment. Itโs so iconic and good. This along with Legal Partners probably permanently organized my brain chemistry, I think. Good god the angst. The fluff. this fic genuinely made me sob which. A book hasnโt done that to me in a very long time! thereโs a scene where Apollo talks about grief and that was very relatable. This fic also does breach the subject of suicidal ideation, but it is brief. In general this is a lighthearted fic!
If itโs really me you seek by seamint, 83k words, 21/21 chapters, 2021
Summary: โAnyway,โ Ema keeps going, fully ignoring his sarcasm in favor of staring at a neat corner where the walls meet the ceiling. โI asked if he wanted to go to your party together, but he said he wasnโt going.โ
โWhat?โ Apollo suddenly finds it very hard to breathe. โWhy?โ
โHell if I know,โ Ema says nonchalantly, but then she turns to him with a smirk. โSee if you can figure it out: I believe he told me, and I quoteโahemโ'Ach, I would, Frรคulein, but I believe Herr Justice would be more comfortable without me there.โโ
Or, when Apollo comes home from Khura'in only to learn that Prosecutor Gavin is avoiding him, the last thing he expected was for Gavin to offer to let Apollo stay at his house while he looks for a new apartment.
Itโs been a hot minute since I read this one (one of the first klapollo fics I read) but this one was veryyy good. Very much inspired me. Honestly all of Seamintโs stuff is good.
And if all my wishes could come true by seamint, 45k words, 8/8 chapters, 2022
Summary: โโOur sonโ my ass. Youโre getting way too into this,โ Apollo grumbles, rolling his eyes. โIs this your dream? Do you dream of being divorced and paying alimony, Gavin?โ
Klavier doesnโt tell him that as far as dreams go, his is to live in a world where a relationship with Apollo, past tense or otherwise, is at all possible. Apollo doesnโt need specifics, or terrible confessions in vet clinics that show how badly Klavier wants to play pretend with him.
Or, Klavier, Apollo, and how cats bring people together in the most convoluted ways possible.
Looove this. Very fluffy. Mikeko being the center of attention as well and thatโs of course why weโre reading this who cares abt klapollo frrr
Turnabout Dungeons (and Dragons) by Synthpop, 170k words, 33 chapters, 2016
Summary: According to Mr. Wright, Dungeons and Dragons is good, if not crucial, for cultivating trusting relationships between friends and coworkers. Apollo has his doubts.
So goood. I love D&D and Klapollo and this is the perfect mix of this. Bard klavier, paladin apollo, need I go on? Phoenix is the dungeon master and Ema, Trucy, Athena and Simon are also apart of the party as well
can I go where you go by parchmints, 40k words, 6/6 chapters, 2021
Summary: Apollo Justice has rotten luck: he actually wins the grand prize for a mail-in contest, but It's a couple's getaway to a fancy ski lodge in the mountains and Apollo is aggressively single. With no one to go with, Apollo offers them to Klavier since surely, a rockstar would be able to find a date before then, but Klavier has a better ideaโthey go together and pretend they're a couple. That way, they both get a vacation, plus free food and wine.
And well, Apollo's never been one to pass up free food.
So good!!! Thereโs some wonderful art in this one as well!! I remember being super hooked by this one and giggling over the fake dating stuff. Loved it
Things are as they are by hechima, 34k words, 3/3 chapters, 2021
Summary: Klapollo cabin fic. That's really all this is.
Need I say more? Yes, two cabin fic recs back to back. One cabin in the snow and the other in some desert. Loved the character analysis in this one.
Gravity by Euphorion, 46k words, 7/7 chapters, 2014
Summary: In the aftermath of his brother's arrest, Klavier is trying to balance his law career and a solo music career, with some successโbut with less savory consequences as well. His fans are fixating on every aspect of his life, desperate for his attention and jealous of his relationships with the people around him. They've singled out his courtroom rival, Apollo Justice, as the target of their frustrations.
hooo boy this one is pretty angsty in a way. Lots of things going on in this one. We have some crazy Gavinners fans in this, endangerment of lives, stalking, mailโฆ itโs a bit dark but very engaging!
Itโs all that I am and all that I have by eternalmagic, 58k words, 12/12 chapters, 2016
Summary: Apollo sucks in a breath, attempting to steel his nerves. Should he honestly send this...? He doesn't even know who this man is. This is a huge, huge mistake. But, even so, he hits send before he can remind himself of how awful an idea this is.
Dear You,
I think I love you. Just wanted you to know.
From,
Me
Klavier's phone pings with an email notification, and the moment he reads it, the smile fades from his face. God, this was so much easier when he didn't know that the sender hated him in real life.
[ or, the you've got mail au. ]
Sooo good! Iโve never watched the movie before, and honestly, you donโt have to. Itโs very engaging and oh my goddd the angst you have to get through to get to the fluffโฆ. So worth it.
Anyway, Hereโs Guilty Love by u_andcloud, 129k words, 22/22 chapters
Summary: The entirety of Ivy U is smitten with Klavier Gavinโwith one exception. Apollo Justice could do without Klavierโs constant presence in the quad, where he serenades passerby with acoustic versions of his band's songs. Apollo is also not particularly fond of Klavierโs clothes, his hair, his tendency to sprinkle German into his conversations, or the fact that, despite all of this, Klavier is still at the top of the class.
So when Klavier asks Apollo to help him start a club for aspiring lawyers on campus, Apollo isnโt entirely sure why he accepts. Itโs a resume builder, he tells himself. Itโs not like he has to like the guy.
Except, well....he's starting to think that he might.
[Or, a simple college AU turned AA4 re-imagining.]
AHHHHH. College AU fic set in Ivy U. In AU fics like these, Iโm always interested in how the author will deal with Kristoph, considering his story is so intertwined with both Apollo and Klavier. This fic did it so well and seamlessly my goddd. I loved it.
Undeniable you (the currents pulling me onward) by experimentaldragonfire, 59k words, 11/11 chapters, 2020
Summary: Kristoph Gavin is found dead in his prison cell, and Klavier Gavin is the prime suspect.
With nobody else available to defend him, Apollo Justice flies in from Khura'in to take the case--but during the course of the trial and its aftermath, long-hidden secrets come to light.
I looove Klavier being suspected of murder fics. They executed this concept very well. I know abt experimentaldragonfire as they were one of the hosts for the klapollo minibang (2024) I was apart of! Their writing is indeed, fire. Check out their other fics as well!
Apollo Justice: Between the Cases by joggingoctopus, 84k words, 18/18 chapters, 2023
Summary: What happened between cases in the Apollo Justice game? Here's one way things could have played out!
A retelling of apollo Justice, kind of! I really liked how the author explained some of the stuff in Ace Attorney, and it will go into my personal AA belief system I think. They also have a sequel fic which Iโve yet to read bc im very scared! (Clay things)
Delicate by ronsenberg, 30k words, 5/5 chapters, 2020
Summary: Everything about the situation is wrong, from the suitcase in Apolloโs arms to the blaring of car horns from the cars waiting behind him. It doesnโt matter. โI have been thinking-โ he starts, voice faltering. It is very unlike him to be at such a loss for words, but he has never found himself in a situation quite like this before. โAch, wondering, really-โ
Apollo raises his brow, glancing at the digital clock on the dash and back into Klavierโs eyes in quick succession. โKlavier, my flight-โ
โ-Marry me?โ The words come out in a rushed and poorly articulated interruption. Apollo blinks, his mouth falling slightly open in surprise. โWhen you come back, ja? Marry me.โ
A Post-Spirit of Justice Proposal fic.
As of writing this right now, I just finished this fic so itโs very fresh in my memory! I really liked it! The way they wrote what would most likely be a realistic depiction of Klapollo if it were to happen in real life. It has all the downs and lows and the highs that youโd expect in a realistic relationship.
Glowing embers dying fire by virtualmushroom, 88k words, 20/20 chapters, 2023
Summary: Klavier has a crush on Apollo and he makes that abundantly clear.
Apollo, however, is oblivious and takes Klavier's enamored flirting for simple teasing. After all, why would a famous prosecutor rockstar come to like an "average" guy like him?
Despite that, Apollo comes to unlearn the preconception he has of Klavier and see beyond his mask, into the person he really is, someone not as cheerful as he may appear.
An also realistic in-canon depiction of Klapollo I really like! This was also written by my good friend!
Words Come Fluently by ItsyRoyal, 50k words, 12/12 chapters, 2021
Summary: Klavier Gavin is the most famous rockstar in the world. Guilty Love is about to go platinum and the tour sold out fourteen stadiums. So there's really, really no reason why one anonymous music critic on Youtube who hates him should get under his skin. And yet somehow he'd do just about anything to convince MikekoMusic to like him.
Apollo has been doing Youtube as a fun side hustle while he tries to break into the talent management industry, and he's just landed an assistant gig working for Kristoph Gavin. Whose main client is his golden boy younger brother. Whose music Apollo has been anonymously trashing for years.
Yeah, this is all going to go fine.
auuuuuuuuuuugh oh my god the DRAMA in this. Really good. The best part about this is the reassurance of no murders and clay BEING ALIVE!! I love clay alive fics, esp if theyโre of him reacting to Klapollo.
Mission Control by ForeheadandFop, 12k words, 1/1 chapters, 2015
Summary: Like any good friend, Clay takes an interest in Apollo's career; he can't help it if the most interesting part is Klavier.
Loved this as well. Very good. It fulfills my needs of clay reacting to klapollo as mentioned above but however. This is canon compliantโฆ.๐งhappy ending though โฆ
I think thatโs it for my list for recommendations! Sorry a lot of them are long fics ๐ญ๐ญ
#ace attorney#apollo justice#klapollo#wrightworth#wrightworth fic recs#wrightworth fics#klapollo fic recs#klapollo fics
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Anyway because avatar studios is planning a new animated series on the new earth avatar after Korra, i won't ever continue writing the story of my OC earth avatar so here's his story summed up (mind you i started writing this in 2014, after korra ended, before the kyoshi novels, i have the proof on my laptop to back this up, the manuscript's original date is 2014. so no, i did not steal the "avatar is an orphan and therefore no one knows who the avatar is" from the kyoshi novels, my work was never published, not even on fanfic websites so it is purely a coincidence my 15yr old brain came up with the same idea of FC Yee)
Main character is Shen (originally Chang but stopped liking that name in 2019) born in Ba Sing Se, dropped off the door of a non bender couple when he was two months old. Shen grows up thinking he is a non bender. The adoptive parents have one biological daughter after Shen, the father ends up being a dead beat and leaves when Shen is 9
Because his adoptive parents are non benders, they find out Shen's an earth bender embarrassingly late, when he's 14
Shen's family lives in the lower ring and can't really afford actual earth bending lessons, so they rely on their kind neighbor who is a farmer, and teaches Shen the basics
One night, Shen's mother forgets to put out a candle. Shen discovers this when he goes downstairs for some water. As he goes to snuff the candle, he realizes it grew as he got closer. He played around with the flame, and ended up holding the fire in his hands. He then runs outside to the farmland in the outer ring where he trains earthbending, where no one can see him, and firebends. This way he discovers he is the avatar at age 15
Shen keeps this a secret. He does not want to be the avatar. He fears if he reveals himself, powerful people from all around the world will try to take him away from his family, and try to push their political agenda on him. He mainly fears the Earth King, who's been causing political tension with the Northern Watertribe and Fire Nation since he inherited the throne, and has been "unifying" the Earth Kingdom whilst simultaneously taking land from the Fire Nation and Watertribe.
The absence of the avatar made these tensions worse, the king has been desperately trying to find the avatar and hasn't gotten anywhere. The Fire Nation and Watertribe think the king is incompetent and want to start the search themselves, but the king won't allow it. Even the air nomads are trying to get the king to allow them to search, but he refuses.
At age 16 Shen, his mother and sister move away from Ba Sing Se to a small harbor town in the southern Earth Kingdom. Shen starts a new school and meets a boy named Yahno, who's father hails from the Northern Watertribe, but his mother is from Republic City. He also meets Ji-min, and airnomad girl who is a descendant of avatar Aang. They moved to the town because her mother was banished from the Eastern Airtemple. At school he meets a girl named Chล, a firebender that has Earth Kingdom nationality and likes to dye her hair bright red.
The friends tell him about their classmate Uma. She was adopted, no one knows her actual birthday. She is an exceptional earthbender, which is why she believes she is the next avatar. She treats it as fact, and uses the title to hold power over others. During their first PE lessons (where benders are encouraged to train their elements) she bullies Shen about his lackluster earthbending skills
Shen and Yahno go sailing with Yahno's waterbender dad, who takes them out of the bay in the open ocean, however they are taken by surprise by a storm. Shen accidentally activates the Avatar state on instinct and saves them from drowning. Yahno and his dad vow to keep Shen's secret, as they know what the Earth King would do to get his hands on him.
The king declares a final nationwide search for the avatar. The earth king is a truth seer (Toph's ability to detect lies), he decides to use this ability because he suspects the Avatar knows their own identity and is hiding it. Shen tries to half truth his way out, but ultimately fails due to a trick the king pulled on him, making him firebend in front of everyone. Shen gets revealed to the king, and with that the world.
Firelord Kaen, who recently ascended the throne after the untimely death of his father at age 19, meets the young Avatar in secret. Shen is apprehensive, which Kaen understands. They end their conversation with mutual appreciation, since both are teenagers in position of power.
Shen starts his Avatar training. When he enters the spirit world through Republic City's portal for the first time he finally meets Korra, and she has to sheepishly admit to Shen that she'll be his only guide. There's no connection to any of the other past lives due to the new cycle.
Shen has the most trouble learning waterbending. He doesn't know how to let his emotions flow like water, which is blocking him from getting a true feeling for the element. He masters earth, fire and air relatively quickly, but water refuses to budge for him.
This is about as far as I got writing wise. In the second half of the story a time skip was planned so Shen would be a young adult instead of a teen. He'd get badly hurt during an assassination attempt at age 18 (airship he was on got blown up) and go missing for five years making people believe he's dead and thus reborn in the firenation. He joins a pirate crew bc he has amnesia after getting badly wounded, but once he regains his memory as he's healed he keeps his identity secret again. That is until he literally sees the earth king attack the fire nation and he reveals himself to his pirate friends and contacts his old friends to take down the earth king. Also a romance of sorts would develop between Shen and Kaen (which is another reason for the timeskip lol like an 18yr old and a 21yr old sounds weirder than a 23yr old and a 26yr old idk) then i'd explore the complications of an Avatar, who's supposed to be neutral and unbiased, falling in love with a leader of one of the four nations.
Either way i was never gonna finish this story anyway bc i suck at thinking of complex political plotlines and problems for the avatar to solve to include in my story lmao. I do have some chapters that are finished writing wise but they're not in order bc I'm the type of writer that just writes the chapter they want to write without caring where it takes place in the story, which admittedly isn't a great strategy but eh it's not like I'm a published writer, it's mostly for my own enjoyment
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looking into it i think yingxing would have been fire hunt. heโs hunt for sure considering his main thing was hatred of abominations of abundance anyway but he was trained by huaiyan who is known as โthe flaming heartโ on the zhuming. people and heliobi hang out together there. flint emperor is there. they use the flint emperorโs flame to forge weapons. the forge is called flamedisk forge. lots of fire stuff. so if he learned there he should be fire element. also makes sense with bladeโs trailer showing that he is the single candle still lit despite the rest having gone out. would be cool if he had bluish/teal fire bc heliobi and whatnot.
i was gonna say something about how his skill could be him like heating up his sword as one would to forge it (but not THAT hot obviously) and now im thinking about how with bladeโs skill he turns his sword from black to red? he is forging that thing. also crazy that that sword weighs like 4000lbs and he launched it through the air like a frisbee and dan heng got impaled with it and hardly even stumbled. how strong are these guys. OOOH or yingxing could have a FLAMETHROWERRR thing. he made awesome shit and everyone loved him ok? i know heโs never going to be playable as old man furnace master yingxing but i am just imagining if he wasโฆ hehe. arrogant craftsman. god they need to let me see/hear more of him like that. I WANT TO SEE OTHER WEAPONS HE MADE I WANT TO SEE HIM SMILE AND BE PROUD AND ANNOYING!!!!!! OLD MAN NOW!!!!!!
anyways fire/hunt yingxing. imaginary/hunt would be cute and fire/destruction makes sense too and obviously most characters playable paths dont line up with their actual beliefs but idc he seems very hunt to me. i miss him. you guys remember when he said โbe careful, high elder, lest you hurt yourself with it.โ that was some crazy shit. show me geriatric bladie again pleeeease. blade companion mission better be 6 hours long and at least 100k words and 2 cinematics. iโll wait. give me his life story all 800 years of it. well i guess thatโd be like
age 0-7: love my family. sure hope the beasts donโt arrive!
age 8-15: beasts ate my planet. went somewhere else they are teaching me shit here
age 16-30: i am the best at the shit i was taught. idc that everyone is rude to me about it cuz they can be rude but they canโt beat meeeee ๐
age 31-70: im still the best and now iโm hanging out with my immortal friends yay :) theyโre all going to outlive me but thatโs for the best i think. Right guys?
age 71-800: Ow ow ow ouch ow. Where the fuck am i btw & who the fuck am i as well. Oh well guess ill stick a branch in my hair
age 801+: kidnapped by robot and woman but itโs fine. girl keeps asking me to play games with her even though i tell her iโm busy cutting my hand off each and every day. beast upon my shoulder saying โMeowโ frequently. unsure of the implications of this. robot here sometimes. i like it. woman tells me to stop foaming at the mouth so i do because i respect women. except ONE OF THEM. (canโt remember which one right now). branch growing from my stomach again. not my problem. i will be taking a week long nap now.
but i want 6 hours and 100k words of it with pictures and voice acting as proof.
#yingxing#having a moment my bad. Well can you really be surprised#what do you expect from a guy with this url and icon anyway.#honkai star rail#hsr#yingxing hsr#high cloud quintet#blade hsr#hcq#(the woman he doesnโt respect is jingliu if u didnt get it)#theory#i guess. since its abt his path and type.
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you're human designs are soooo cute and pretty, can I ask what their height and ages are supposed to be?
i never really think of height tooo much while designing, i just roughly make it "this one is taller then this one because that's how it is in canon". but i don't use the canon height differences to a tea cause they are WAY too drastic..
for ages though, while i still need to think about them more (I'll prob rewatch ii another time to be sure). i do have a rough idea of all of their ages. i feel like an obvious one that's "age coded" is teapot, she is 10000% an older lady in her 40s or 50s. but other characters that i think are 30+ are silver spoon, candle, cabby, cobs, mephone and mepad (those are kinda iffy since their robots, it's more like mental age). there's prob more but i can't think of any. the way i actually think of season one is that all of the contestants are teens, very mixed from young teens to older teens. like, i think s1 knife is around 16/17 while i think s1 lightbulb is like 13/14. i made a drawing of it actually that I'm gonna finish later, but here's a wip.
then they become adults in season 2, while the new contestants are also adults (except cherry i think they're a kid I'm sorry). but they still have different ages, like i think mic is younger 18-20 while people like cheesy is like late 20s
i say all of this but i don't actively think of age a lot while drawing designs, WHICH I SHOULD MORE. but i also don't draw the characters that i actually think are older or younger then their 20s so oops
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VALENTINO & VOX | โ
of THE VEES (Hazbin Hotel)
โ



โLive Demonstrationโ (Valentino & Fem!Reader & Vox)
| After constantly fighting their authority Vox sends you to watch an execution in order to scare you into submission; Valentino couldnโt make your situation any worse if he tried.
| SFW, 16+, non-romantic, no polyamory, non-sexual, canon typical violence & gore, (TW: descriptions of a brutal death, Valentino, but no seriously the Vees kind of are their own trigger warning in this fandom), this shit is mean
| A branch-off oneshot from this post (an imagine), but can also be read as a stand-alone.
| Pic source: Hazbin Hotel S1
| 1k+ words
โ ๏ธ I DO NOT ENDORSE VIVZIEPOP (& associated parties) but I did watch the show and wanted to write for it , so idk โ ๏ธ
Youโre still standing, rooted in place with your gaze stuck on the singular severed finger that managed to survive the feeding frenzy. Itโs the only thing in the tank you can still see at all; the clear water had gone a red so thick you couldnโt see any of the sharks except for when one of their fins grazed the glass.
Everything around you feels staticy like it hasnโt since you first spawned in Hell trapped in a body completely foreign to you. Being forced to function with misshapen limbs like a bird thrown from the nest didnโt hold a candle to this shit though.
The speakers lined high along the walls around you come to life.
โAre you finally finished with wasting our time with your fruitless escape attempts?โ
Voxโs voice booms unavoidably through the room, every decibel of his lax tone overflowing the floor of the tower youโre on and flooding your brain to the brim.
Where your arms are crossed your hands wrapped around your forearms tighten.
He sounds less like he just ordered a man to be eaten alive right before you and more like heโs booking a frivolous appointment for a wife he canโt stand, put upon sigh and all.
A few moments pass where the hopes you had for escape and revenge fall to pieces at your feet. Directly afterward you blink away the veil of red in front of you and look up to nod at one of the dozens of cameras around you.
โIโll be needing verbal agreement, actually,โ he drawls, voice still loud enough to vibrate your internal biological systems.
The grip you have on yourself is starting to ache.
โYes, Vox. No more escape attempts, youโve made your point.โ
The camera you're talking to is as unfeeling as ever but youโd take the clinical paranoia of constant observation over a personal visit from Vox any day. You knew how quickly he could get to you and you did not want to tempt him.
โI sure hope so,โ he mutters, voice cutting and snide, before his voice animates for the first time since he began speaking; show host cadence coming out in full force. โGlad we could finally come to such a beneficial agreement for us both!โ He cuts the act then, tone mellowing, โNow, try not to do anything too drastic, Iโll be needing her for a presentation in an hour. Otherwise I donโt care what you get up to.โ
He clicks off, the speakers going dead once more.
With a clipped breath you glance around the room after his final warning, brows furrowing.
That hadnโt been for you.
What you find after turning around makes you stiffen and the sinner to blame grins at you from where heโs leaning inside the door frame, all four arms crossed over his torso.
You blink, face dropping as his name falls like stone from your mouth. โValentino.โ
One of his bottom hands lifts so he can wave his fingers at you and then heโs pushing off the door to saunter closer. His steps are too deliberate for you not to rock back on your heels where you stand.
He sighs, this airy melodramatic thing that doesnโt sway you to him one bit. As if your personal interest was of any actual concern to him though.
โVoxyโs so mean sometimes, isnโt he? Forcing you to watch all this.โ Stopping beside you he casts a disgusted look at the bloody water that managed to spill over around the sides of the tank. The sight of it makes you shiver and Valentino looks at you, his mouth flipping into a frown as he reaches out to clasp a dainty hand atop your shoulder.
His eyes are sparkling when they meet your own though, and his grip is too firm. Even his body is commandeering too much of your space despite his slender figure.
A thick perfume permeates from his glands that youโd probably find pleasant smelling in another context, tangy and sweet as it is; itโs similar to how you never once found the sound of CPU fans whirling unpleasant until being around Vox long enough to equate it as the precursor to his patience waning and his ire compounding right before he ordered something drastic and sadistic. Or how the staccato clack of heels never used to make you start cataloging exits till you met Velvette and her fatal storm of demands for absolute perfection and unrelenting need to snuff out her competition.
His thumb digs harshly into the edge of your shoulder blade.
โPobrecita,โ Valentino coos, his other upper arm coming up so that he can press his fingers into your cheek and force you to keep your gaze on him. His thumb swipes through the tacky tear line running from your eye and he clicks his tongue. โHeโs too harsh sometimes. Personally I wouldnโt have put these pretty tears to waste, but you know how Vox is. Too much machine, not enough man.โ
He talks like youโre friends. Like his platitudes do you any favors. Valentino and Vox are similar in that way; rarely did their delivery ever match the situation or social cues of the moment. Velvette was often the same but after your internet beef a few days back sheโd grown bored of you and moved on. As of now her chats with you had mellowed into something that could be seen as amicable out of context even.
With you successfully cowed you suspected Vox would soon do the same, only bothering with you when he had need of you.
Valentino howeverโฆ.
You watch the way he abandons the frown to let his grin curl back over glossed lips and something in your gut tightens.
Looking up at another one of Voxโs cameras from over his shoulder is useless but you do it anyway. There was no doubt in your mind that he was watching, just knowledge that sat like a weight in your gut that he sure as shit wouldnโt be your savior.
โItโs okay to admit you were scared, you know?โ His smile hitches a little higher and his antennae twitch. โWere you scared? Did the little bug's death hurt your feelings?โ
His words make you rankle.
โIโm fine,โ you ground out.
The Overlord scoffs like youโve said something absurd and suddenly itโs as if yellow wallpaper shifts in your peripheral.
Black, and female, and delusionalโ hysterical; thatโs what youโd be now if he did something to you and you went crying around about it, nevermind that your dark ever-shackled flesh had been ripped from your core and replaced with something more demonic, you hadnโt been a patron of Hell long enough for your human mind to corrode entirely. And you were yet again unfairly bondaged regardless.
โYou donโt have to lie to me,โ in an instant his grin turns from placating to harsh as his expression storms over, โI like that youโre scared. Vox gets so sexy when he puts his foot down, but you? You get a bit unremarkable, if Iโm being honest.โ
He flicks one of his lower hands, rolling his eyes.
โYou glaze over like a wet cat. Hm, Miedosa? Those tears werenโt only from frustration were they?โ He shakes his head. โIf you felt so bad, why didnโt you go in there and save them then?โ
The hand on your cheek shifts to grip both sides of your jaw. He shakes your head, fingers tight as they grind into your teeth through your skin and leave an ache that swiftly travels through the rest of your face and settles.
He regards you coolly, the way one might an ant.
โNothing? Alright, Iโll tell you why,โ he purrs, eyes going lidded as he leans in, โitโs because youโre our bitch now. And bitches do as theyโre told.โ
For a second all you do is gape, eyes wide and mouth open as much as his grip will allow. That doesnโt last awfully long.
Soon after youโre sneering wordlessly up at him, hands balling at your sides so harshly they tremble.
Valentino chuckles, dark and coiling and somehow just as all encompassing in your brainโs real estate as Voxโs voice over the intercom had been.
โI canโt wait to ruin you,โ he whispers, eyes burning through you as he racks his gaze over your face before heโs pulling away and walking off without another word.
You hear him say something ridiculous to Travis from the hallway but it doesnโt alienate the tension strung through you like a live wire and for over a half hour you stare, face void of expression, into the closed door heโd come through until Vox calls for you.
NOTES: Hope you enjoyed!
Iโ deeply apologize for Valentino, I do. My little blurb with him kind of got away from me if Iโm being honest, but Iโm not even kind of mad at it.
Also, Iโm almost completely sure that my use of Pobrecito/a is correct (Iโve had it said to me for years, I just had to look up the spelling), but my use of Miedosa Iโm not as sure about. I wanted to post this now, but I will be changing shit accordingly once I get โoutside consultationโ. Either way Iโm not a Spanish speaker so donโt take me as a source.
btw: if youโd like to leave a comment Iโd very much appreciate it!
โ
Spanish words of the day (how they were used in this fic): โPobrecitaโ - poor baby.
โMiedosaโ - Scaredy Cat; Coward.
Alt. Banner (scrapped) โ



#valentino#vox#hazbin hotel#black!reader#black y/n#tw valentino#valentino & black!reader#vox & black!reader#the vees#background#staticmoth#valentino x vox#hazbin hotel valentino#hazbin hotel vox#the vees & black!reader#valentino x reader#vox x reader#hazbin hotel & reader#hazbin hotel x reader#hazbin hotel imagine#hazbin valentino#valentino hazbin hotel#hazbin vox#vox hazbin hotel#valentino imagine#vox imagine#hazbin hotel oneshots#hazbin hotel fanfiction#platonic!reader#fem!reader
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Creator Highlight #16 - @shadowisles-writes
Today weโd like to highlight @shadowisles-writes. Shadowisles is a true treasure in the Elucien side of the fandom. Sheโs both a talented writer and a beloved friend to many. If you get a chance to talk to her, her wit comes through with her quick sense of humor and her top tier takes on every character.ย
A true master fic writer, shadowisles has written 44 ACOTAR fics, including 18 Elucien fics! Equal parts sweet and spicy, she will have you giggling and kicking your feet in one fic and blushing in the next.ย Her writing is the kind that you canโt peel your eyes away from, whether youโre reading about Elain and Lucien fighting over the best study seat in her academia series or canon Elain following Lucien all the way to the Day Court. Every fic is a treat that leaves you craving more!ย
Below are a few favorites, but youโll want to read all the fics on her masterlist, here!ย
So Long, Londonย
"You swore that you loved me but where were the clues, I died on the altar waiting for the proof."
After the war with Hybern, Elain is welcome back into Graysen Nolan's estate to marry him. Elated to live the life she dreamed of, Elain learns to glamour herself to fit in among the humans of their village. Unable to keep away on her wedding day, Lucien paces outside until the very last moment he can interrupt to beg her to reconsider, except the scene he walks into is anything but a wedding.
Iโm With Youย
Without the urgency of war looming over Prythian, Elain begins to question if the Night Court is where she belongs. Her mate travelling at will between courts and the human lands fills her with the longing to accompany him. Except being alone with Lucien in the Day Court means confronting conflicting feelings, which only get more complicated as secrets and threats to her safety emerge.
Or: the one time the lyrics "And if you need a light, Iโll be the match to your candle, my darling," made me daydream about Day Court Elucien for weeks.
Tetheredย
Elain moves to university after the semester has already started and finds herself stuck outside in the cold after the fire alarm goes off in her building. Lucky for her, a red haired neighbor is willing to share his blanket, and a lot more than that too.
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Remember me? (Part 16)
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15
Summary: Under the Mountain, Y/n met the High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand. She was scared of him, but soon she found out that he wasn't who he pretended to be. Despite her efforts at not falling in love with him, she fails. It's not that bad as he loves her back.
But now he's gone, and she's left alone with nothing.
Except for a very adorable reminder of him.
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Tw: secret pregnancy, none more that I can think of, so let me know if I need to add anything.
A/n: eh. i dont know.
enjoy!
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Meeting was a fancy word for revel, really.
All the High lords were drinking and laughing among themselves in groups of twos and threes after they had returned a few moments ago.
They had gone off to a small room nearby along with their inner circles and guards to discuss whatever it was that high lords discussed. Eris had not wanted to leave Y/n's side, a muscle feathering in his jaw when he had left without her, his fists clenched.
But he had not left without glaring at every male in the ball room.
Y/n hid her smile behind her glass, taking a small sip of the fruity wine as she thought back to the way everyone had shrunk into themselves at his gaze.
Without even realising, Y/n's eyes began searching for that familiar head of fiery hair, and she found him standing next to the high lord of the summer court, nodding along as he spoke.
But he was already staring straight at her.
The heat from the bodies that pressed up against each other and danced around the floor would never compare to the heat that spread through Y/n when her eyes met his.
She shot back the rest of the wine, only to realise there was nothing left. Sighing, she stared into the depths of her cup, and the last dregs of the wine stared back.
When she lifted her head, Eris was no longer next to Tarquin, who was now smiling at something his cousin said.
Y/n's brow furrowed, and, huffing, she turned to make her way to the refreshments table to get herself more wine. Because, after she found Eris staring at her, she knew she was nowhere near drunk enough to get through another evening of longing glances and tenson filled words.
But she was met with a wall of muscled chest right in front of her face. So close she had to stumble back to take a breath.
"What the hell?"
Eris mouth was a cruel slash of a smirk as he surveyed her, the light from the majestic chandeliers made of faelights and candles reflecting in his eyes.
"What?"
"Why are you here?" Not exactly what Y/n had wanted to say, but she hardly said anything she wanted to these days. So this was not a surprise. It was as if her brain stopped working whenever he was near.
Leaning his shoulder against the wall, he sighed dramatically. Turning his head, he let his gaze sweep the huge chamber, resting for a moment on the orchestra that played a fast paced song. "And here I thought you missed me."
Y/n scowled, though she doubted he could see it. "What are you here for Eris? Is there something you wanted to say? Or are you here just to be dramatic?"
His smirk only widened as he glanced at her, and she huffed. "Do you know how to dance?"
Y/n blinked, deflating a little as she pondered the almost nonchalant question. "Yes." She mumbled quietly, studying his posture, wondering what his intentions were. "I had to learn and become good at it."
He nodded. "I don't."
He seemed to be lost in thought as he said, as if he had not intended for he words to slip but he had spoken them aloud instead of just thinking them.
"You don't?"
Eris glanced at her, shrugging. Y/n's gaze caught on his goblet as he did so, and she wondered if it would be okay to snatch it and down it herself.
"I wanted to learn, but I did not have time to. Will you... teach me?"
Y/n blinked, her neck warming. "Me?"
He nodded matter-of-factly. "You get to dance so you don't get bored, and I learn to dance. It's nothing more than a transaction."
She felt an unexplainable twinge of hurt in her chest at that, and she pushed it aside. Taking a deep breath, she ran her hand along her skirts for the millionth time that evening as she nodded. "Alright."
Eris straightened, his eyes widening just a fraction. There was a glint in his eyes she could not identify, but before she could decipher it, he spoke. "Really?"
Rolling her eyes, she grabbed his goblet. And then, without thinking or considering the fact that it could be a stronger beverage, tossed it back and swallowed.
She regretted it immediately.
Sputtering at the weird taste of the drink that was definitely not the fruity wine she had been drinking, she stared at the goblet in her hand in disgust. "What the hell was that?"
"That was whiskey." Y/n's head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes at him when she found him grinning. "This is why you don't steal someone else's drink."
She scowled, shoving the glass into his chest and turning away, trying to swallow the weird taste. It was no help.
She took a few steps away, wondering why she was getting so pissed over nothing. When she realised she was pushing through the crowd and he wasn't even following her, she turned to glare at him over her shoulder.
That was enough to scare him as he hurried to keep pace with her.
Standing on the edge of the dance floor, Y/n released a breath, trying to let loose the side that had adored dancing.
It had been the only time where she could not worry about being offensive without meaning to, could stop worrying about which court cockroach her father would marry her off to.
The previous song came to an end too soon for Y/n's comfort, and she took a deep breath before turning to look at Eris. He stared back at her. And then, his lips curling at the edges as he offered her his hand. She placed her hand in his, and instantly her heartbeat seemed to calm down.
In the back of her mind, she noted that he had discarded of his goblet somewhere.
He led her onto the dance floor with the grace and efficiency of a dancer who had danced for centuries, totally at odds with his statement of not knowing to dance.
As if feeling her skepticism, he slowed his pace down, glancing at her uncertainly. She narrowed her eyes at him, and his eyes sparkled.
He stopped and turned fully to face her, his brows lifting a little.
"What if you step on my toes?"
He tried to pout. Special emphasis on tried. "I won't."
Y/n sighed, then guided one of his hands to her waist. It tightened instantly.
She glanced at him for a moment, and found a subtle blush on his cheeks, though it could just have been the lightning playing tricks on her.
"So... Now what?"
Eris questioned once the fae around the two of them had begun dancing to the new tune. It also did not go unnoticed by Y/n that they maintained a little distance from Eris and her.
"Now we dance. Just follow me, I guess."
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She let her body relax as the music picked up again after the applause from the audience died down. She could see the nervousness mixing with something in Eris's eyes.
The music that flowed through the ballroom was a soft but fast paced one. Not as fast as the previous one, but not slow enough to be a couple's waltz. Her heart seemed to be beating in turn with the beats of the song.
She dug her fingers into his shoulder as they made a particularly complicated turn, the fine embroidery on his expensive crimson coloured jacket that clung to his frame crinkling. The jacket was tight and loose in just the right places, putting his body on show for everyone watching. It almost made her want to act on the irrational and unexplainable urge pull their eyeballs out.
And, even though Y/n knew she would never do something like that to anyone, the thought brought her a little satisfaction.
She blinked a couple of times to try and focus again on Eris and his dancing.
Eris picked up fast. He was a good dancer. A little too good, considering he claimed to never have danced before.
Y/n's suspicions only grew with every moment that passed.
He was a little unsure at first, and his nervousness had almost seemedโฆ forced. But she did not pay much attention to that as she focused on guiding him and making sure to stay away from the other couples.
It amazed her how someone like him, someone who was said to be one of the cruellest males in history, had wanted to learn something so elegant as dancing.
It made her wonder, what else had he wanted to do, what else did he have passion for that he as forced to stop in favour of becoming the powerful and cruel male everyone made him out to be.
Made her wonder if he had a different upbringing, would he have turned out different?
Y/n skin seemed to have taken on a perpetual warmth, and her body refused to cool down, especially when Eris slowly seemed to pull her closer, his hand having wrapped tighter around her waist.
She felt a bead of sweat rolling down her spine as they continued twirling around the floor, Eris now having taken over the dancing as he guided her through a series of practiced motions. Y/n realised that he had lied about his knowledge- or lack thereof- in dancing.
It was in no way the season where the weather was hot. But Autumn court people had fire in their veins- at least most of them did- and that, combined with them most of them lusting after a person in the room, made the heat rise.
Eris's hand on her waist also did not help. His proximity, his breath on her face and neck, sometimes even brushing against her exposed shoulders and collarbones when he dropped the two of them a little. His eyes were blazing with something Y/n dared not name.
All of it made her want to scream.
They had been dancing for two songs now, and as the song began to come to its end, the attention of almost everyone turned to Eris and her.
Y/n wondered if he would leave before they could dance to the third song, as three dances in a row was basically a marriage proposal.
A small part of Y/n hoped he would continue dancing with her.
The last few notes of the song lingered in the air, ad loud applause sounded from the audience. Y/n knew without a doubt that everyone present was now watching Eris, curious as to what he would do next.
Y/n was right there with them.
Eris had not looked away for one moment. Not one. And now, as the sounds of the claps from the crowd died down, he continued to stare.
Even when the next song began, he did not remove his hands from her form.
"Eris" Y/n whispered, glancing around. "people are staring."
"I know."
She blinked up at him. "This will be our third dance."
"And?"
"We- we can't dance-"
"Do you want to stop?" He cut in, giving her a pause.
"Three dances in a row is akin to a marriage proposal. You know this Eris."
"And? Do you want me to stop?"
Y/n pondered the question for a moment. And she knew that he could read her answer in her eyes before she even spoke by the satisfied and excited smirk on his face.
"No, I don't want to stop."
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General Taglist: @bubybubsters @eos-princess @nightless @harrystylesfan2686 @cassie6392
Eris Taglist: @kennedy-brooke @hnyclover @minnieoo @sidrapotter @tele86
Remember me Taglist: @holb32 @awoa1 @cleverzonkwombatsludge @luvmoo @we-were-beautiful @eerievixen @zoe2 @fussel9913 @j-pendragonx @thesnugglingduck @jesssicapaniagua @devilsnightz @esposadomd @littleffawn @mandowhatnow @bubybubsters @eos-princess @nightless @bigcreatorwombatdreamer @princesslolaasworld @asemkta @cat-or-kitten @txzii @bunnyredgirl @theofficialmadman @leeknows-wife @aria-chikage @amygdtjhddzvb @azriels-mate123 @inky-clover @kemillyfreitas @12358 @justdreamstars @cuethedepession @princessvesta @fides25 @nocasdatsgay @acourtofbatboydreams @stained-glass-eyes0708 @glaciuswduo @wallacewillow0773638 @cassie6392 @quackitysdrugdealer @txzii @anuttellaa @coisas-da-dani @hnyclover @sassyslytherinshai @historygeekqueen @why4anne @mybestfriendmademe @going-through-shit @thisblogisaboutabook @thehighlordishere @hells-sluttiest-new-arrival
#eris x reader#eris vanserra x reader#eris vanserra#eris acotar#a court of thorns and roses#acotar fandom#acotar fanfic#acotar fluff#acotar series#acotar writing#a court of mist and fury#mating bond#sarah j maas#acotar headcanon#pro eris vanserra#acotar
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Is Jordan one of those moms who doesnโt care if her kids smoke/smoke in the house? How does Wesker feel about things like that too? Since Alvina doesnโt strike me as that sort, but Junior..lmao
Do not be fooled everyone in that god forsaken household smokes something, whether itโs weed, cigarettes or a vape. Junior obviously smokes weed, Wesker strikes me as a Marlboro kind of man, and Jordan is the one who does both, has the worst lungs known to man. As for Alvina, sheโs the lame one who has her dragonberry mango ice disposable on her that she rewires when it runs out, but she also smokes weed I think.
As for the actual smoking part, after a certain age Jordan doesnโt really mind the fact that they smoke. Around their late teens is when sheโll accept it, otherwise sheโd be livid. Probably around 16-17 is when sheโd be okay with it. Besides, sheโd rather be conscious of it and know theyโre doing it safely, rather than out doing whatever. This doesnโt exactly apply to smoking in the house though, that is completely off limits youโre going to have to go outside for that. Neither her or Wesker wants the house to reek of cigarettes, let alone Permanent Marker, thanksโฆ Junior does not follow this rule and gets scolded at regularly. The odour in his room is probably rank as fuck, a mix of weed, some random bath and body works candle and axe cologne all desperately trying to cover up the foul smell๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ
With Wesker I think heโd have the same sentiment, except obviously heโd be a bit more rigid regarding these rules. He knows how crucial brain development is so smoking is regulated to 20-25 for their prefrontal cortex fully develops. As you can tell, nobody actually followed this and neither did he, Wesker probably bummed cigarettes since he was like 12. Growing up they all hid this from him and Jordan definitely covered for them too. Again, Junior wasnโt as slick as Alvina and got his ass handed to him several times for getting caught smoking.
#ok let me go more in depth about their tastes LMAO#jordan smokes with filter and with grabba.. tons.#junior is a bong user .. the pipe too perchance. filterless as well. everything he gets is cheap and probably laced#or edibles.. okay honestly hes the weed wizard what can i say#wesker probably likes grabba too .. idk i feel like heโll do anything you give him#alvina likes edibles <\3 smokes with filters too#matter of fact juniors filters are made out of pokemon cards#0.5 gpa mfs when you ask them a question about smoking#thank you for the ask !! <3๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ#resident evil#oc x canon#albert wesker#fengshuioc#fengshuispeaks#jordan manalang#jordsker#alvina wesker#junior wesker
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Fangs and Fractured Hearts
Chapter 16: Riddles
Summary:ย After embracing eternity as a vampire spawn under Astarion's wing, the Crimson Palace becomes a haunting symbol of the man he once was. As his personality unravels into a dark abyss, you flee. A year of hardship unveils the harsh reality of existence as a vampire spawn.
Just as all hope seems lost, a twist of fate reunites you with Astarion, revealing a glimmer of hope amidst the shadows. As you navigate the complexities of your relationship, you must confront the unsettling truth behind the Rite of Profane Ascension and the devilish secrets it holds.
In a race against time, you embark on a daring quest to save Astarion from his descent into darkness. With each choice you make, the stakes grow higher, testing the limits of your courage and determination.
Will Astarion find redemption, or is he destined to succumb to his own inner turmoil?
Word Count: 6.8k
Pairing: Ascended Astarion x female!Tav Spawn
Warnings: [Will try to continue to add more, but in general expect explicit content for mature audiences]
Possible spoilers. Eventual Explicit Content. Slow Burn. Thoughts of Suicide. Violence. Blood. Injury. Mature Content. Self-Harm. Mentions of in-game content. Completely fabricated camp events. Mentions of Astarion's Trauma.
If you notice a very critical tag missing, please don't hesitate to let me know
Rating: Explicit 18+ - [Meant For Mature Audience]
The manor is mute except for the scratch of paper as you flip the page of Astarionโs sketchbook and contemplate the detailed drawing of yourself. You frown as you try to brush the name over the woman, painting her with the letters and hues of every syllable. It doesnโt matter what portrait you look at; the name still feels foreign and unrecognizable.
Whoever the woman in these drawings is, she is lost to you. She took her name to the grave, and some things cannot be exhumed. You close the book, your eyes sailing up the wall toward the ceiling.
Should you miss her? Grieve her? Forget her?
Climbing onto the bed, you hold your palm out, summoning the flames from the candles. You close your fist to extinguish them and let the black wings of darkness envelop the room. You have a strange feeling that youโre not entirely that woman any longer, which you canโt put into words. You were disassembled somewhere between life, death, and this everlasting afterlife, and your pieces werenโt arranged in quite the same pattern.
You have lost and gained so much in so little time. Would you recognize yourself even if you had a reflection?
Thereโs an ache in the vacant chamber where your dead heart hangs, frozen in the static state of death. The pang of discomfort doesnโt belong to you, though. Astarion has been leaving the link open more and more, and youโre learning what he meant when he said the world around him seems to move in slow motion.ย ย
You once made the mistake of thinking Astarion could no longer feel, but you couldnโt have been more wrong. The reality is that he feels everything with an intensity you cannot begin to fathom. His emotions are like shooting stars. They streak through him, blazing bright and winking out in the blink of an eye.
His beating heart gives away Astarion's return. He doesnโt bother lighting a candle when he enters the room, hanging his formal suit coat.
You light a candle with a twitch of your finger. โYou must forgive yourself, Astarion.โ
Astarion sighs, rubbing his face. โWhat gave me away this time?โ
โThe same thing.โ You splay your hand across your chest. This is not the first time youโve mentioned the ache, as if your heart is in a perpetual state of being torn. โWhen you hurt, I hurt.โ
You feel his intention to cut the coupling, to give you a break from the pain, and you fight against it.
โDonโt,โ you rebuke, narrowing your eyes at the increasing pressure in your head. โPlease. Stop trying to shut me out.โย ย
Astarionโs eyes fall to the sketchbook you left on the bedside table. โDo you not recognize your name still?โ
โNo,โ you say, shaking your head and fidgeting with your fingers. This is the whole reason for the pain heโs been wallowing inโa bog of guilt and shame. Heโs more upset over it than you are. You smile, making your voice a gentle hug. โGive me some time, and I will get used to it.โ
โYou should not have to getย usedย to your own fucking name,โ he hisses, squeezing his eyes closed, and the pain in your chest increases. It feels like your heart is warping itself into knots. โNot even Cazador went as far as to remove my name from my memory.โ
โYou are not Cazador,โ you snap back sternly. โStop comparing yourself to him. The situation is entirely different.โ
โNo,โ Astarion growls, raising his voice, overtaken by repulsion. โIโm somethingย muchย worse. At least there were limits to his power. No restrictions hinder me.โ
โGood Gods! Just stop!โ You yell, jumping off the bed. Youโre unsure if your anger is partly due to what Astarion is feeling or your irritation at his self-loathing. At least he cannot remember taking you to the kennels. You donโt think he will ever recover. โYouโre not him, and youโre not the darkness inside. You must separate the two.โ
Astarion scoffs, turning away and waving dismissively, โI think it best if you rest in your room tonight.โ
You deflate, anger being replaced by his disregard and the sharp sting of rejection. Astarion has been making you sleep in your room for days. At first, you thought he needed space, but heโs only become increasingly distant and withdrawn.
โWhy are you doing this?โ You step toward him, but he tenses and shies away, making you halt. You try to decipher his retreat through the bond, but Astarion is carefully guarding his emotions.
โDoing what?โ He asks casually, keeping his blank stare on the wall.
โYou show me an open door, then slam it on me and pull the rug out from under my feet!โ You look up, hating that tears have begun crawling down your cheeks. โYou think keeping your distance from me is keeping me safe, but youโre tearing me apart. Do you even want me here anymore, Astarion? Should I go?โ
โDonโt go,โ he whispers, brittle and weak. If your hearing were not so sharp, thanks to your vampirism, you wouldnโt have heard him. Thereโs another stab in your chest that feels like it rips the muscles right off your bones, and you whimper, clutching at your skin. โPlease.โ
โI canโt take this anymore,โ you plead, taking another step, only to watch him tense. Your arms drop to your sides. Your heartbreak is affecting him. You can see it in the way his jaw clenches, and he winces almost imperceptibly at every sob you stifle. โWhy are you pushing me away?โ
Astarion finally turns, wracking his fingers through his hair. โI donโt know if I can be what you need me to beโwhat you deserve.โ
โI know you donโt love me,โ you sigh, shrugging. It always comes back to this. โYou need to listen to me; let my words sink into your skin and fade into your soul. I missed you with such intensity that it felt like I died every day we were apart. You are my forever, even if I am not yours, and thatโs okay.โ You shake your head dismially, unsure how to get through to him. โI love you. Goodnight.โ
Youโre near your room when Astarion appears in front of you out of thin air, and you bump into him. He vaults you off your feet and into his arms before you can register his movement, making you yelp at the surprise of having your feet swept out.
โShit,โ He holds you firmly against him, his lips pressed to your forehead in a lingering kiss. โIโm sorry. I donโt want you to leave. Stay with me, little love. Iย needย you.โ
โStop pushing me away.โ You tangle your fingers into his hair, with your face nestled into the crook of his neck.
โI will.โ His hand comes to the back of your head as he walks back to his room and places you gently on the bed with adoration in his eyes. โYou are my forever, Illyria. Aeterna Amantes.โ
โLovers forever,โ you finish, sidling up close to him and laying your head on his chest.
The teeth of guilt gnawing inside your chest cavity have finally relinquished your heart as their chew toy, and all that remains is the steady thrum of Astarionโs borrowed heartbeat.
โUntil the world falls down, my love,โ he purrs, placing a finger under your chin and his lips embracing yours.
The slow rocking rise and fall of his chest is like the sway of gentle waves; the beat of his heart is a lullaby whispering serenity into your soul, and you slip peacefully into your trance.
Upon waking, your hand meanders across the silken surf of the sheets, only to find Astarionโs side of the bed cold and void. Rolling onto your back, your eyes drag open, and you listen for the telltale susurrus of a heartbeat. A frown creases your forehead when youโre met with nothing but the anonymous creaks and groans of the manor.
Astarion doesnโt usually leave without mentioning his absence as a warning to stay indoors and away from the windows. A florid scent catches your attention, prompting you to turn your head.
On Astarionโs pillow, a red rose rests and a folded note with your name penned in his delicate, flowing hand.
โGood morning, beautiful.
I apologize for my absence, but I am not far. Iโve left blood for you in the kitchen.
Eternally yours,
Astarion.โ
The promise of awaiting blood stirs you to your feet hastily. Your belly coils with anticipation, and you barely have enough restraint to dress and run a comb through your hair before youโre bounding down the stairs.
A golden goblet, elaborately etched with prismatic dragon scales that mirror yours, sits on the counter. You snatch it greedily and bring it to your lips. The blood is cool, so you allow your palms to heat slowly, warming it as it inspires your taste buds to recite their devotion to the ambrosial elixir. Itโs unmistakably Astarionโs blood. It knocks you over in a wave of delirium that makes your knees weak, and you lean into the counter to keep yourself from melting into the floor.
Youโre not sure if itโs your imagination or reality, but you veritably hear Astarion chuckling in your head.
The meal is finished too soon, and you groan as you clean the last traces from your lips. When you open your dreamily heavy eyes, another folded note, previously hidden by the flared base of the goblet, catches your attention. You blink rapidly to clear the insensibility glazed across your sight before you can make any sense of the words before you.
โFind me using the clues I have scattered for you, my clever Illyria.
We have much to discuss.
โReminisce beneath the faded tapestries, where laughter once echoed; seek the embers of our stolen kiss."
Clues? What in the Hells is Astarion up to, and what the fuck do you have to discuss? An icy shock runs from your dead heart into your feet. Is it possible he found out about Mizora and knows youโve been keeping something from him? Would he play a game of cat and mouse with you?
You would not put it past him.
Heโs left the link between you open, and you cannot feel any malice vibrating in the orchestra of emotions. If heโs figured out your secret, heโs hidden it well.
You stare at the hint with a furrowed brow. Embers of your stolen kiss? Faded tapestries? The pad of your finger rubs over the fringe of scales scored into the gobletโs surface while you think, and then you realize the damn chalice itself is another tip.
This does not belong to Astarion, or it didnโt before you and he stole it after breaking into a shop one night during your adventure. Astarion caught you eyeing it while you were buying supplies. You deemed it an impractical purchase. There was a far more dire need for healing potions and other necessities than to waste coin on frivolous trinkets.
He woke you up that night, dressed entirely in black, and dragged you back to the shop for a thrilling night of thievery and resulting debauchery. Where did you two go after to celebrate?
The Blushing Mermaid.
You dress quickly in a red dress with lace sleeves and a glimmering, golden dragon that snakes up your side. The skirt hugs your hips, flares slightly, and flutters around your knees. The golden bands of the matching hairpiece and circlet wreathe your forehead and long hair.
Throwing on your sandals, you stop dead at the door. The sun still shines outside, as evidenced by the tawny luminance glowing between the cracks in the drapery.
Astarionโs voice frisks across the bond:ย โYou neednโt fear, love. You are safe.โ
โWhat are you up to, Ascendant?โย You query back, opening the door slowly and sticking your hand in the small ray to validate his claims.
He giggles,ย โSolve the riddles, and all will be revealed in time.โ
The sky sings of sunset in hues of fire hearths gilded with golden inlays. Despite Astarionโs assurance, your skin still flinches over your muscles as if trying to pull itself away from your figure. Your eyes keep steadily on the majesty of the horizon as you trot through the streets to the Blushing Mermaid.
With the recent meal sloshing around in your stomach, your bloodlust is easier to manage. Still, when citizens brush by with their dainty necks on display, youโre tempted to give them a nibble.
The tavern is as busy as it typically is for late afternoon, but most patrons take no notice of you, engrossed in their revelry.
โAh, the leaking blood bag.โ Captain Grislyโs voice drifts from her quarters. โNice to see you again. I hardly recognized you without your quarterstaff and haggard, blood-soaked robe.โ
When you turn and her eyes catch the cracked crimson of yours, she gasps but holds her tongue with a clenched jaw.
You smile reassuringly and taunt, โDonโt worry. I wonโt bite unless you askย veryย nicely.โ There is something about people being afraid of you thatโs thrilling. You cannot explain why. Perhaps youโre learning to accept this new you instead of feeling ashamed. Itโs freeing. โWas my pale companion here earlier?โ
The woman eyes you skeptically and nods, โYes, Lord Ancunin was in earlier, but he warned me not to assist you.โ
โOf course he did.โ You roll your eyes as Astarion chuckles in your head. โIt was nice to see you.โ
โPlease try not to make a meal out of my patrons,โ Captain Grisly smirks. โThe cleaning bills are already enough of a menace.โ
You chuckle while your eyes dart around, trying to remember what you and Astarion got up to that night. The memory is garbled under the lagoon of ale you must have drunk.
You drank a lot. You danced. Oh Gods. You danced on the stage.
Your eyes swing to the faded tapestries hanging above a small alcove. Astarion had dragged you off the stage when your provocative swaying earned the attention of too many ogling eyes for his comfort.
โYou are a godsdamned delinquent, Illyria,โ heโd purred in your ear while he ironed his body to you possessively, shielding you from the onlookers with a forearm pressed above your head. โI have half a mind to take you right here, enchantress, to show these fools you belong toย me.โ
A small table sits in the alcove with a single candle lit. A white rose rests on it, with a dainty silver chain wrapped around the verdant stem. Unwrapping it, you hold a locket in your hand. The edges are adorned with two exquisitely detailed dragons, one light silver and one dark, forming a heart. In the middle, a black diamond is held by the silver dragon, and a normal diamond is held by the dark one, creating a magnificent contrast.
Opening the clasp, your eyes anchor to a sketch you havenโt seen before. Itโs not of the mortal woman you donโt remember. Itโs of you, as you must appear now. Your eyes are the only thing in vivid colour, and your fangs peek out of your smiling lips. Even though the picture is small, it holds an impossible amount of detail.
The smooth metal of the back is engraved with Astarionโs nickname for you, Amarillis. Itโs Elven, your mother tongue, for Flame-Flower.
Putting the locket on, you find another note nestled between the petals of the rose.
โWhere the forgotten lay to rest under the celestial canopy, find the crimson-kissed stone where a single star shines alone.โย ย
If you know Astarion, heโs left another hint somewhere in plain sight, like the goblet. You scan your surroundings for anything that looks out of place, and you find an image hanging on the wall behind the stage that you donโt recall being there.
You recognize the statue, Balduran Looks Out to Sea, located in the Tumbledown district of the outer city. Itโs not an area youโve spent much time in. Astarion and you went to sit on the cliff and watch the sunrise the day before you went to kill or be killed by Cazador.
Now, you just need to get there without eating anyone.
Twilight is a tangible whisper, bruising the stretch of sky in purple and navy when you return to the streets. Alleys and paths are easiest for you to traverse, and sometimes you Misty Step and skate over the roofs when you feel bloodlust evaporating from your control.
At least Tumbledown is far less busy than the Lower City, thanks to the misty veil that never seems to disentangle from the town. The soft percussion of waves from the River Chionthar pulsing upon the cliffside is rhythmic as you walk up the quiet path leading to the statue.
You reread the note, โWhere the forgotten lay.โ
Cliffside Cemetery.
The large graveyard spreads before you, composed of a bafflingly complex network of headstones, tombs, and old mausoleums. You keep your eye out for anything red, which will appear brazenly against the drab background of the assorted greys and greens of the mossy tombstones.
The moonlight casts eerie shadows that stretch and disfigure the terrain. The stars ignite the velvet wreath of night as you finally come upon a headstone with a red rose draped over it.
The weather over the centuries has worn, stained, and cracked the stone. Crouching, you carefully wipe off the grime that dulls the worn epitaph.
โAstarion Ancunin,โ it reads.
Rest Peacefully Beneath a Canopy of Stars.
Your fingers trace the jagged lines unconsciously as tears brim in your eyes, sinking to your knees.
โI have not returned since I punched a hole in my coffin and dug through six feet of dirt nearly 200 years ago.โ Astarionโs voice floats from behind you.
Leaping to your feet, you whirl with more agility than youโve ever possessed and thrust yourself into his arms. Astarion is dressed in clothing reminiscent of his camp clothes, leaving the typical opulence of the Vampire Ascendant behind.
โYou are not forgotten, Astarion,โ you whisper against his chest.
Astarionโs arms wrap around you. His timbre is angelic and deep, vibrating through your skin and massaging your spirit. โI was. For 200 years, I was a ghost stalking the streets while whoever I was, whoever I could have been, lay dead and buried."
Taking your hand, he walks toward his grave, letting his fingers coast over the roughened stone. โCazador was waiting for me when I surfaced, hacking up dirt and congealed blood. I was his from that day forward. Even this grave is located on lands once owned by the Szarr family. Yet another nod to his ownership of me, I suppose.โ
His finger taps the headstone, but heโs smiling when he turns to look at youโa real, genuine smile that fills your heart with warmth. โThen you fell like an angel from the heavens, quite literally, and waged war on everything I thought I knew about the world. You gave me something I had been without for centuriesโhope.โ
โIโm no angel,โ you whisper.
โYouโre my angel, Illyria,โ he asserts. With Astarionโs attire and the way heโs speaking, which is so entirely familiar, thereโs a shot of recognition that stirs your psyche. For the first time since you relearned it, your name is not an abstract word in your head. Astarion must feel it because he smiles broadly and continues, โNo one cared, no one gave me a second look, and no Gods answered my prayers. No one is like you; youโre you. You stood with me through bloodlust, pain, and misery. You trusted me. You were patient. You cared. You were the only one who never gave up on me. You still havenโt given up on me, even though itโs an objectively stupid thing to do.โ
โYou were being very sweet until you called me stupid.โ You giggle as he wipes the tears from your cheeks.
โSweet and savoury, my dear,โ he chuckles. โIโve been free for over a year. Yet, I am just beginning to figure out who I am and what I truly want out of this newfound life.โ
โWhat do you want, Astarion?โ You lean into him. โThe world is yours for the taking.โ
โNotย what,โ he says, shaking his head, sliding an arm around your waist, and his fingers grazing over the locket on your neck. He smiles, โBut you will have to finish this little quest to find the answers you seek.โ He hands you another note and winks, โIโll see you soon.โ
Astarion gives you a small, playful shove and strides away with a smirk. He bows and shifts into an unnaturally large, white bat with crimson eyes you would recognize in a sea of them, soaring around you while you laugh.
โYouโre adorable, but are you soft?โ You ask.
He answers in your head with a lilting laugh,ย โShall we find out?โ
He lands, folding his wings and resting on his headstone, and cocks his head. Your fingers tremble, unfoundedly afraid you might hurt him, as they stroke down the alabaster fur.
โSoft and cute.โ
โI aim to please,โย he snickers, taking off to kiss the stars.ย โYou are wasting time, my treasure.โ
You giggle at his jeering and watch him streak through the sky, so beautifully free, before reading the note.
"Seek the shoreโs embrace, where stars align, and ascend the steps, bathed in candlelightโs shine. There, seek the terrace above the riverside; a question to decide.โย
Shoreโs embrace. Now, this you know well. When Astarion turned you he insisted on renting a villa with this name near the river in the Lower City.
The trek back to the Lower City somehow feels lengthier as nervousness hits you, ticking away in your chest, every beat of Astarionโs heart amplifying your anxiety as if the seconds were grains of sand slipping away, impossible to grasp.
You canโt entirely tell if itโs yours or his. With the bond open and uninhibited, you are entangled, a tapestry of threads entwined so seamlessly that itโs difficult to distinguish where one of you begins and the other ends.
If Astarion has figured out youโre hiding something, heโs given you no indication, but some part of you still wonders if youโre walking into a trap. Itโs hard to control your thoughts so they do not transfer to him, which heโs been trying to teach you so that you can keep the bond open, but your private thoughts can remain your own.
It makes you wonder what thoughts he keeps from you.
You smell the aromatic perfume of roses before you round the corner. The villa hangs onto the wall and overlooks the River Chionthar. The silver waves sway and reflect the impending dawnโs early light, cradling the morningโs first blush. Candles light the steps covered in white and red rose petals. It almost feels wrong to step on something so wonderful.
The beat in your chest thrums with anticipation, like your extinct heartbeat has woken and risen from the grave as you ascend the staircase to the grand entrance. Your breath catches in your throat as you enter the foyer. The sparkling crystal chandelier is lit, casting scintillating rainbows across the room. Rosemary incense burns, filling the air with an aroma that reminds you of homeโof Astarion.
You follow the scattered rose petals leading to the terrace as the golden crown of the sun crests the horizon. Fear typically follows such a sight, but youโre revelling in grandeur.
The heartbeat behind you is the only thing that alerts you to Astarionโs presence. The man seemingly appears out of thin air, but if you had that ability, you would take advantage of it too, you suppose.
โThis is beautiful,โ you say, and your words are abruptly cut off.
As your eyes fall on Astarion in his resplendent tailored suit, he descends to one knee. His crimson eyes meet yours, sparkling with a celestial constellation mirroring the infinity of his love. The newborn sun lights up the adoration in his features.
โIllyria, my love,โ he begins in a soft whisper before your brain can catch up to what is happening. โYou are the fire that lights up my darkness, a melody that soothes my troubled soul. After being with you, there is no doubt that I have touched the heavens.โ He hesitates momentarily, and the bond surges with warmth, longing, devotion, and good Gods,ย love, โI love you, and I fall more in love with you every day. I do not know what tomorrow brings, but right now, with you, the world feelsย right.โ
His hand reaches into his pocket and produces a small, velvet box. Lifting the lid, the quick breaths you didnโt realize you'd been taking catch in your throat as your eyes fall on an exquisite ring, nestled on a bed of crimson silk, intricately crafted with a dragon claw, clutching a heart-shaped diamond to match the locket.
Astarionโs warm caramel baritone holds the sweet promise of eternity: โWill you marry me?โ
Your hand shoots to your mouth to stifle the sound that erupts from your throat, somewhere between a whimper and a squeak. Your knees fold, unable to hold your weight any longer, and you drop, folding your arms around his neck and draping yourself over him.
His hand comes to your back, and he kisses your cheek. โIs this happy crying, or have I made a grave miscalculation?โ
โHappy crying,โ you stutter through shaky breaths.
He chuckles, nuzzling you. โIs this a yes?โ
โYes!โ You pull back, nodding in case he cannot understand you through your weeping. โBut I need one thing from you."
"Ask, and I shall make it yours,โ he purrs.
You cradle his cheek, sweeping your thumb across it. โSay it again.โ
He smirks, wiping the tears from your cheeks. โI love you.โ
โOne more time,โ you choke out.
โGods above,โ he giggles. โIs this all you will have me say now?โ
You smile, the tips of your fangs peeking from your lips. โIt sounds very good in your mouth.โ
โYou know I do not repeat myself for anyone,โ he taunts. โAnyone but you, my love.โ Astarion takes your hand, slipping the ring onto your finger, looking deeply into your eyes. โI love you, Illyria, myย wife, myย everything.โ
โI love you, too, Astarion, myย husband,ย my shiningย star.โ
He beams, โI do rather like that, you know,โ he muses. โWhen you call me husband.โ
His arm wraps around your waist, easing you to your feet. You clutch onto him to keep yourself upright as your knees wobble like a newborn fawn and try to watch the sunrise with your head on his chest, but your eyes keep drifting to the ring adorning your finger, reminding yourself that this did, in fact, just happen.
โDo you like it?โ He murmurs, catching your eyes moored to it.
โI love it,โ you whisper. โIโve never seen anything like it.โ
โI should hope not,โ he chuckles. โI designed it. No one will ever have anything similar.โ
โHow do you know?โ
โOh, you know me,โ he shrugs. โI killed the jeweller to make sure he could never replicate it.โ
Your head snaps up, wide-eyed, to look at him. He glances at you and bursts into laughter. โA jest, sweetheart.โ
โI hope you at least compelled him to forget it,โ you snicker. โOr I may have to drain anyone I see with anything similar.โ
โOh,โ he giggles. โI do so adore it when youโre murderous. Speaking of draining someone, Iโve had you running around the city all night. You must be positively famished.โ
โYou fed me,โ you say, arching a brow at him. โLucky for the citizens of the Lower City. Some of them smell very tasty.โ
Astarionโs hands find the back of your thighs, and you wrap your arms around his neck as he lifts you. โNot as tasty as me, I hope.โ
โNo one could ever be as tasty as you,โ you purr. โYour blood is nearly as charming as you are.โ
He chuckles, taking you into the villa and setting you on the lofty mattress. โWell, who am I to deny your hunger? I would not be a very good husband if I did not keep my lovely wife satisfied. Would I?โ
โWhat are you saying exactly?โ You sweep your fingers through his hair as he undoes the elaborate clasps of his suit jacket. He discards it and loosens the collar of his shirt. You quirk your head at him. โSpeak plainly.โ
โI want you to bite me,โ he purrs, pushing your legs to part for him with his knee and leaning over you. His lips mould to yours in a reverential kiss as his hands wander your body and ignite your desire.
โBite you?โ You breathe. โYou said I couldnโt.โ
โNo.โ Astarion removes his shirt, and your palms skim over his chest. โI said you canโt unless I permit you. You are as close to a True Vampire as you can get, my consort. It will not change you.โ
โI donโt want to change,โ you murmur, your fingers pressing firmly into his sculpted muscles. The offer of blood is tempting your hunger. โYouโre giving me permission?โ
He smirks, โGo on then. Iโll allow it.โ
โWhere?โ Astarion cranes his neck to the side in an invitation. It takes everything you have not to leap for that magnificently pulsing vein. โYour neck?โ
โIs there something wrong with my neck, my dear?โ
โNo. Of course not,โ you giggle. โYou have a very lovely neck. This is just new, thatโs all. I didnโt think you would want to be, uh, well, bitten.โ
โYour bite, my sweet,โ he purrs, pressing his chest against yours and pinning you between him and the mattress. โIs divine. Only you will ever get the great honour of biting the Vampire Ascendant.โ
โI godsdamned better be!โ You huff, โI donโt share, Astarion. Not your body, not your blood, and definitely not your heart. You areย mineย and onlyย mine.ย โ
He giggles, โPossessive little thing. Arenโt you? Not to worry, my love. I do not intend to share. I am yours. Wholly, and completely yours.โ
You trace your lips down the shell of his ear. Your heart frolics at the ardent shudder that courses through his body and how the breath hitches in his throat. Kissing his neck until you feel the vein pulsing against your lips, you wait until he whispers his shaky, anticipatory approval.
The razor-sharp points of your fangs kiss his skin, and you wait for your body to seize up, but it doesnโt. You bite quick and sure, trying your best to be gentle. You feel the pop of your fangs puncturing his skin. His blood erupts into your mouth, caressing your tongue with heavenly heat that cascades through the channels of your veins and nestles between your thighs. You drink from him slowly but deeply, and your body trembles.
Astarion groans, deep and rich, his hot breath fanning the cool skin of your neck, and you feel the icy pinch of his fangs sink into you. You wash through him, and he passes through you in a paradisiacal torrent. The pleasure that harmonizes over the bond is transcendent. You swear you could come undone for this alone, and you ease your fangs from his neck and moan.
He kisses you with a bruising intensity. His tongue parts your lips so you can taste the essence of each other, and he bucks his hips into your aching sex, sending you spiralling into that frisson of pure delirium.
The clothes on your body feel much too restricting, and you whimper. The barrier of fabric between you feels unbearable. Astarionโs fingers go to his trousers, but his usual adroitness is nowhere to be seen as his fingers fumble with the laces.
He stares at his fingers dumbfounded for a moment and then looks at you with an arched brow and giggles gleefully, โDo you by any chance feel absurdly intoxicated?โ
You writhe on the bed, unable to contain your ardent lust, as your brain awkwardly processes his question.
โEntirely,โ you laugh. Gods. You thought you were high on him last time, but you are almost senseless in your need. Youโre not even sure if youโre walking on the planes of reality or in some delightful hallucination, and you cannot find it within you to care. โIs this not normal?โ
Astarion throws his trousers to the side, rucks up your dress clumsily, and tosses it away. โIโm not entirely sure. I may have read something about it, but I cannot quite remember where or when.โ He shrugs. โWe will have to experiment.โ
Precum glistens, dripping from the head of his swollen cock. You are overcome with the absolute need for his salty, heady taste on your tongue. You lunge at him, bowling him over. Your movements are somehow swift and equally ungainly.
You lick up his shaft with a long, broad tongue stroke, feeling the ridges of his distended veins, before you engulf him in the wet heat of your mouth. Swirling your tongue around the blunt head of his cock. He sucks in sharp, shuddering breaths, fingers in your hair as you worship him, hollowing out your cheeks and sucking, taking him deeper and deeper until his cock tickles the back of your throat.
โIllyria,โ he moans breathlessly. โHells. Youโve got to stop before I lose my composure.โ
But youโre not entirely sure you could stop, even if you wanted to. No. You want to feel his cock twitching on your tongue and his seed shooting into your throat. You want to drink his essence like a fine wine.
โIllyria,โ he warns, trembling fingers curling into your hair. You feel the telltale pulse, hear the way his breath becomes ragged and uneven, and you take him over the edge in a few bobs of your head. He cries out, your name a sweet litany in his voice.
His seed bursts into your mouth, and you moan at the salt of him, swallowing every drop he gives you like a thirsty traveller. He is candied like heaven, wicked like hell, and, oh, so fucking delicious.
He pulls your head back by your hair and stares at you like he has found an oasis in an arid desert. You lick your swollen, red lips, determined to get every last drop of him that you can.
โBad girl,โ he purrs, shoving you flat on your back and pressing his lips to yours. He explores your mouth. โI taste exultant on your tongue.โ
His fingers run through the seam of your dripping folds, coating them in the sleek of your arousal and easing into your fluttering channel. Astarion presses the pads firmly into that sweet spot inside that blinds you with pleasure, the heel of his palm caressing your clit with mind-numbing friction.
It does not take him long to settle into a rhythm that throws you somersaulting over the cusp of your own release with a lewd, wild cry, and he does not stop until heโs lured every possible shockwave from your body.
Astarion grabs your waist, tugging you down the bed as he settles between your thighs, sliding his length through your folds, his head teasing your overstimulated pearl. He guides himself into you, working your sex open inch by inch as you stretch to accommodate his girth.
Where everything before this was wild, almost savage, and borderline uncivilized, this is slow, passionate, and unhurried. He rocks his hips in languid pumps, coming to his forearm with his forehead pressed against yours. He is not fucking you. He is making love to you.
โYou are mine,โ he rasps through shaky gasps. It is not a proclamation of his ownership of you. It is not a command. Itโs more of a plea for reassurance. โYes?โ
โYours,โ you confirm breathlessly, your eyes squeezed closed in pure rapture as he massages every one of your ridges poetically. Your fingers slide into the hair at the nape of his neck, and you cling to him as if you might float away on this cloud. โIโve always been yours.โ
โGods. I love you,โ he shudders between uneven breaths.
You will never tire of hearing those words, tasting them as they hinge off his tongue, and feeling them as they dally over the bond.
You clench around him, expelling a sighing groan from his mouth that you catch on your lips, determined to taste his ecstasy. His arm folds around your waist, forcing you to arch into him with his other hand at the back of your head. Astarion changes the angle of his thrusts but keeps the easy tempo. The blunt head of his cock waves over the sensitive pad of nerves inside you with every roll of his hips, and his groin grinds against your needy clit.
Astarion purposefully brings you close to your climax and then eases you away from it until youโre a whimpering mess beneath him.
โAstarion,โ you pant, unable to take this withholding any longer. From his taut muscles and the way Astarion shakes, you know he cannot either. โGods.โ
โOpen your eyes and come with me, my love.โ Astarion increases the sensual pace rhythmically. The building pleasure pools in your abdomen, coiling tighter and tighter with every snap of his hips.
You open your eyes, blinking away the daze of passion, and cradle his cheek as he gazes at you affectionately. Youโve never seen his eyes so vividly crimson, as if his love for you itself was shining through the scarlet depths.
He knows the moment you begin to tread the fine edge of euphoria, gripping his girth and begging him to flood you with his pleasure. You shatter, spasms and white-hot pleasure ripping through you so intensely that the candles in the room go out and reignite with every contraction of your walls.
โF-fuck,โ he moans loudly, a roll of purring thunder echoing in his chest. With one last pump, Astarion tremors, cock pulsing, and spilling into you. His hips stutter, pulsing deeply within you with every twitch of his cock.
He pushes the sweaty strands of hair from your face as you both struggle to catch your breath. You may never get used to his new speedy movements because, before you even realize youโre moving, heโs rolled you so that your limp body blankets his.
His fingers caress up and down the valley of your spine as you nuzzle into the crook of his neck, heaving a sigh of pure happiness while you are once again captivated by the ring wreathing your finger.
Astarion kisses your palm, placing it on his chest, and plays with the ring on your finger. โWill you tell your friends?โ
โOurย friends,โ you correct, even though many donโt fancy him. โOf course. I am not ashamed.โ
Astarion nods with a lopsided grin. โEven Gale?โ
โEspecially Gale,โ you giggle.
โI simply must be there when you do,โ he snickers. โThe look on his face is sure to be exquisite.โ
โI am positive he will have choice words for me,โ you laugh.
Astarion bristles, โHe best watch his words when I am near. I will not tolerate him speaking down to you.โ
โEasy, Ascendant,โ you tut, clicking your tongue at him. โI am capable of dealing with Gale and his words. I am not a maiden in need of saving.โ
Astarion relaxes, chuckling, โA maiden you most certainly are not. I am going to have to field noise complaints.โ
You pat his chest, smirking, โAll in a dayโs work, husband. Our neighbours are going to hate us.โ
โWe will simply purchase all the houses in the neighbourhood if they become too bothersome,โ Astarion chimes, jostling you. โThink of all the places I could make you scream for me.โ
You both break into laughter together, still immersed in the intoxication of each otherโs blood.
But your bliss doesnโt last long as reality grips its claws into your rapture and bleeds it dry.
You cannot possibly continue to keep what you know for him. How can you expect your love to thrive where secrets sleep? He has to know he can trust you to be honest with him, even when that honesty frightens you. You would want him to tell you if the roles were reversed.
Guilt and fear tangle together and ball in your throat. Astarion jolts at the sudden change in your mood as it resonates over the union, sinking into him as if it were his own. His brows furrow and his eyes dart around aimlessly as he tries to understand the trouble he feels.
โWhat is wrong, little love?โ He coos, taking your hand in his. You can feel his anxiety and the quickened pace of his heart in his palm. โYou are frightened. You neednโt be afraid. I am getting better at controlling it. You can tell me anything.โ
You steel yourself against the panic. His. Yours. Your combined dread.
You swallow and force the words out of your mouth. โI know what ails you.โ
Big thank you for everyone who takes the time to read/reblog/comment, and all the other magnificent things. Your support gives me the motivation to keep this fic going, and I appreciate each of you!
As always, please enjoy.
AO3 [Crossposted]
Master List of Chapters: Fangs and Fractured Hearts
If you're interested I write another fic with Spawn Astarion x Tav called - Shadows of the Past
Small Notes:
-We finally got Astarion to say he loves her, multiple times, and a lot more than that. โค๏ธ๐
How is he going to react when she finally comes clean? ๐ซฃ
#ascended astarion#astarion fanfic#bg3#bg3 fanfiction#astarion x you#astarion#bg3 astarion#astarion x reader#astarion x tav#astarion smut#ascendant astarion#soft ascended astarion#named tav#bg3 fic#astarion x oc#astarion ancunin#astarion bg3#fangs and fractured hearts
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2025 Year of Fluff
I got inspired to make this after a friend shared with me the 2023 Year of Whump made by @soheavyaburden and I wanted to make something like it, but for individuals like me who prefer fluff and canโt (for one reason or another) do a month long challenge. Iโve had this sitting in drafts for 2 years and Iโm finally going to publish it this year.
This is my first time ever doing something like this, but I did my best to have a nice mix of prompts that can work for romantic fluff, platonic fluff, family fluff, etc. so that no matter what kind of fluff you want to do, thereโs prompts for you!
I also themed some weeks around big holidays for those who celebrate them while keeping the prompts vague or open to interpretation and arenโt really holiday specific. For example, the week of Easter thereโs โscavenger huntโ and the week of Christmas thereโs โgift exchangeโ and โhome for the holidays.โ
For any prompts where thereโs an โXโ in it, just substitute the X out for whatever word you want that fits in the context of the prompt. Any prompts marked with โ(any)โ really means any interpretation of the word/prompt. For example: โGame Day (any)โ can be anything from actual sports to video games, board games, card games, RPGs, etc.
You can choose to do this event monthly, weekly, or wild card and change up which you do! Wild Card is basically doing whatever prompt strikes your fancy from any month/week!
This is completely at your leisure! No stress, no pressure, just fun and fluff! Feel free to mix & match prompts or pair with other challenges to your heartโs desire (the only exception is whump, hurt/comfort is fine but there needs to be comfort).
This is open to all fandoms, relationships, forms of media creation (except AI), etc.!
I donโt have a place on AO3 you can submit to, but if someone else wants to make one, contact me and Iโll add the link in this post!
Anyway, without further ado, here are the prompts!
2025 Year of Fluff Prompts
January 1: New Yearโs Resolutions/Trying New Things Together/New Yearโs Kiss/โThis is all so new to meโ
January 5: Reassurances/Moral Support/Promises Made, Promises Kept/Massages/โGuess who?โ
January 12: Emotional Support/Holding Hands In Pockets/Warm Bubble Bath/Blankets/โIโve got your backโ
January 19: Walk In The Park/Handwritten Notes/Piggyback Rides/First Kiss/โThis made me think of youโ
January 26: Stargazing/Pillow Fort or Blanket Fort/Candles, Lanterns, Fairy Lights/Compliments & Praise/โYou too?โ
February 2: Trust/First โI Love Youโ/Blushing/Walking Together/โLet me get that for youโ
February 9: Sweet Treat/Valentineโs Day/Love Letters/Love Language/โShut up and kiss meโ
February 16: Love Confessions/Throwing Coins Into A Wishing Well Or Fountain/Weekend Trip/Sleepover/โShow meโ
February 23: Bridal Carry/Soothing Touch/Cuddles/Sweet Notes or Texts/Acts of Devotion/โCan I help?โ
March 2: Drive-In Theater/Helping With Chores/Sympathetic Ear/Caught In The Rain/โMake a wishโ
March 9: Kiss For Good Luck/Tokens of Affection/Sweet Dreams/Wish Granting (or Wish Fulfillment)/โYouโre in luckโ
March 16: Spring Cleaning/Flower Crowns/Snuggles/Picnic/โYou still have this?โ
March 23: BBQ/Bouquets/Boating Day Trip/Besotted/โBe mine?โ
March 30: Being Silly/Pleasant Surprise/Supporting Silly Quirks or Hobbies/Happy Accidents/โIs this a dream?โ
April 6: Nose Kiss or Nose Rub/Parallel Play or Work/Scavenger Hunt/Rainy Day In/โYou know youโre really adorable when youโฆโ
April 13: Dandelion Wishes/Sharing Food/Photoshoot/Bookstore/โOh no, youโre a morning person!โ
April 20: Stolen Kisses or Stolen Moments Together/Amusement Park/Meaningful Gift/Uniquely You/โWanna try?โ
April 27: Winning A Plushie Or Prize For The Other/Spooning/Mutual Pining/Shopping Together/โGuess whatโฆ I love youโ
May 4: Bedtime Stories/Domestic Intimacy/Long Conversations/Putting Flowers In Their Hair/โCould you stay just a little longer?โ
May 11: Wearing Or Stealing Each Otherโs Clothes/Romantic Dinner/Long Walks/Established โI Love Youโ/โMay I have this dance?โ
May 18: Heart-to-Heart/Napping or Falling Asleep Together/Adopting A Pet Or Plant/Holding Hands/โCould you stay on the line? I want to fall asleep to your voiceโ
May 25: Family Time/Game Day (any)/Home Cooked Meal/Surprise Visit/โIโm with youโ
June 1: Passing The Time Together/Parade/Making Or Getting The Otherโs Favorite Food/Nature Walk/โIโm so proud of youโ
June 8: Breakfast In Bed/Fireworks/Pet Names/Rainbows and Butterflies/โOh no! Youโre a night owl!โ
June 15: Bearhugs/Lifting Them Up/Pillow Fight/Ruffling Hair/โDid you bring snacks?โ
June 22: Accidents Donโt Just Happen Accidentally/Tugging At The Otherโs Clothes To Keep Them Close/Listening/Photo Booth Antics/โWant a taste?โ
June 29: Flirting/Running Into The Otherโs Arms/Summer Vacation/Secret Hideout/โSorry, I got lost in your eyesโ
July 6: Heart Eyes/Running Fingers Through The Otherโs Hair/Forehead Touches/Road Trip/โDo you like it?โ
July 13: Day At The Beach/Sharing Ice Cream/Swimming Pool Or Hot Tub/Date Night/โI donโt need X to have a good time, I just need youโ
July 20: Truth Or Dare Or 20 Questions/Reading Together/Back Hugs/Outsider POV/โFollow meโ
July 27: Caretaking/Meeting The Family/Public Displays of Affection/Finishing Each Otherโs Sentences/โYou read my mindโ
August 3: Adoption/Swing Set/Under The Moonlight/Tickling/โCan we do that again?โ
August 10: Carrying Things For The Other/Playful Banter/Comforting Actions/Spontaneous Trip/โMay Iโฆ?โ
August 17: Study Buddy/School AU/Passing Notes/Conversations Without Words/โYouโve told your parents/family/friends?โ
August 24: Public Library/Sharing Earbuds To Listen To Music Together/Leaving Notes With Food Or Drinks Packed Or Given/Meeting Up During Breaks/โAnything interesting happen today?โ
August 31: Loving Gaze/Soft Kisses/Making Playlists Or Mixtapes For The Other/Doing The Otherโs Hair/โYouโve been saving this for a special occasionโ - โThis is itโ
September 7: Angel Kiss (Kissing Eyelids)/Power Outage/Resting Their Head On The Otherโs Lap While They Do Something/Doing Chores Together/โLet me know what you need, alright?โ
September 14: Awkward, But Cute/Good-Natured Teasing/Taking Pictures Of The Other Smiling Or In Their Element/Marathon (any)/โPractice makes perfectโ
September 21: Good Morning & Good Night Texts or Written Messages/Sitting On Or Being Pulled Onto The Otherโs Lap/Sharing A Book Or Reading A Series Together/Pick Up & Drop Off/โCome hereโ
September 28: Laughing Together/Pinky Swear/Tracing The Lines Or Writing On The Otherโs Hand With Fingers/Watching The Other Sleep/โIโll take care of it, go rest.โ
October 5: Good Morning & Good Night Kisses/Helping The Other Put Something On/Comforting Presence/Running A Bath For The Other/โFeeling better?โ
October 12: Play Fight/Carrying To Bed/Whispering Sweet Nothings/Holding Or Touching The Other While They Work/โTell me about your dayโ
October 19: Sharing An Umbrella/Fixing The Otherโs Clothes or Hair/Making Time To Be With The Other/Weekend In The Countryside/โOh, I havenโt done this since I was X!โ
October 26: Leaves/Kissing In The Rain/Comfort After A Rough Day/Sharing A Bed/โYou are my homeโ
November 2: Soulmate AU/Pillow Talk/Inside Jokes/Tying The Otherโs Shoe When Itโs Untied/โIโm always here for youโ
November 9: Wall Kiss/First Dance/Head Pets/Art, Craft, Poetry, Music/โHave fun?โ
November 16: Reunion/Cooking Together/Secret Family Recipe/Photo Album Sharing/โIโm thankful for youโ
November 23: Starting A New Tradition/Leading By The Hand/Swapping Favorite Playlists/Getting To Know You/โYouโll get X all over youโ - โI donโt careโ
November 30: First Snow/Matching Sweaters/Playing In Snow/Baking/โYouโre not dressed warmly enoughโ
December 7: Hot Drinks/Snow Day/Huddled Together/Building A Snowperson/โBaby, Itโs Cold Outsideโ
December 14: Snowed In/Giving A Coat Or Scarf To The Other/Wrapped/Hand Warmer/โIโm comfortable where I am, right here with youโ
December 21: Gift Exchange/Home For The Holidays/All The Hugs/Head On The Otherโs Shoulder/โIt smells like youโ
December 28: Cozy By The Fireplace/Doing Their Favorite Things Together/Cute Nicknames/Twirling/โSeeing your face makes me smileโ
Place Where You Want Prompts:
โข Birthday Party
โข Anniversary/Friendiversary
โข Celebrating A Holiday Together
โข Fluff & Stuff (writerโs choice!)
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Well, i want to ask, how is joe irl? Lol
Like how was the m&g interaction
Finally, an excuse to tell the whole story. I will spare no details, so buckle up. tl;dr he is the nicest boy on earth.
About thirty minutes before Joe's signing block began, me and some other fobbies had clustered at one end of the area. I was totally cool - and then someone said "oh there's Joe" and I turned around and yeah, there he was, only a few feet away. He was holding his hands behind his back, looking lost, just trying to figure out where he was supposed to be and presumably where Rick was. No joke my hand covered my mouth and my heart raced and in that moment I was so SO thankful I had the foresight to get a notecard and write a few bullet points for what I wanted to tell him. Side note, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT METHOD because I always think I'll be fine going up to somebody I admire and then my mind BLANKS in the moment. This made everything so much smoother for me.
Once we found out Rick Remender was a big deal and we had to line up, we spent over an hour in line before getting up to where Joe was. I watched two people in front of me go, and then made myself a fantastic introduction by immediately dropping my bag, water bottle and phone on the ground in front of me. I backed up and let the girl that went before me get a photo before stepping forward with a little "hehe, take two".
I was wearing my "I Have Mental Illinois" shirt and Joe looked at it right away, smiled and said "Don't we all?" to which I brilliantly said "I was hoping you'd like it."
I was in the second row center at Sacramento 2ourdust back in March and I had made this sign for Joe.
I figured since it was a signing event for Holy Roller and Rifters I would bring it along to show him. On the night of the show, I had held it up during 16 Candles and he had seemed to see it, smiling over at me and giving a little wave, which definitely made my entire night. I didn't think he'd remember but...
I set the sign down on the table with the comics and said "I don't know if you remember this, but-" and Joe cuts in "I DO remember this. That was you? Yeah, I saw this, and I texted the guys about it right after the show." He then proceeded to tug on Rick's sleeve and say "Hey, Rick...Rick, look, look at this, look what she made." (Side note, seeing Joe just tugging on Rick's sleeve to get his attention, absolutely precious.) I am still completely blown away that he remembered seeing this sign after playing almost forty shows and eight months down the line, but it totally warmed my heart. He even signed it for me with a special sharpie - he dug around in his little cup of markers and then declared, "Rose gold. You're getting rose gold."
I felt my mind start to blank so I took my little notecard out, which I apologized for, but Joe said "Yeah, that's good to have". I then told him, as he gave me his complete attention, thank you for the music (I've been a fan for over 10 years) and for the books, the memoir, all the laughs, and for the community his band has fostered. I told him that I've met all of my best friends because of his band via Tumblr Discord etc. and that it's come so far that one of my closest friends, who I met on a "Fall Out Boy Forum" (it was wattpad but I wasn't gonna tell him that) and I had met after eight years of online friendship at Forest Hills. Joe asked if we were still friends after meeting because sometimes that changes things and I assured him me and them were cool.
I asked him what comics I should read to get more into comics in a similar vein to what he'd written. He thought about it and said that for Holy Roller specifically, a lot of it was inspired by early Batman comics (I believe he said Batman Year one) and that he was currently reading some of that with his daughter - turning his children into little nerds apparently! He went on for a little while like that and to be honest I do not remember all of what he was saying about it, except for at the end he did say "...that's a lot to remember."
Joe then asked me if I had the rest of the books (Holy Roller and Rifters) as he had copies of every single issue on the table. I have to preface this by saying I was a dumbass and didn't think to bring anything to be signed, so I had run into the bookshop earlier and bought an older issue of both Holy Roller and Rifters for the signing. I said yes, I was subscribed and had them at home, even if I hadn't read them yet, and he clarified "I wasn't doubting you, I just wanted to make sure, otherwise I'd give em to you".
Sidebar, he was signing anything people brought, including art, and someone's FUTCT CD. He asked where they wanted it signed and he helped them work it out, noting that, "In the past, people have had me sign on my photo. Yeah, this one, where I'm like...ten years old or whatever". He also signed a memoir or two (mine was signed when I bought it or I might've done that too).

I then asked for a picture and he said sure and he was very glad that "we (the band) helped to bring you friendship". I then asked hi for a handshake, which I got, and stepped over to meet Rick, giving him a little hello and telling him I enjoyed the books, as it was the first comic series I'd ever subscribed to. I then held up my phone for a selfie, which Joe saw us taking, and so he made this face, and then proceeded to laugh about it to himself, which was so SO sweet.
Just before I walked away I told Joe "oh by the way, my (not really mine but) discord server Fall Out Bastards say hi" and he looked mildly confused and said "I do not know them...but pass on my greetings".
I realized a few minutes later that I had forgotten to take a picture with the disposable camera I brought, so I waited for a gap in the Fall Out Boy fans and kind of timidly went, "Hey, Joe...can we get another picture with my disposable where I'm holding the sign?" He said sure, and so I went back over and posed, all the while he was giving us instructions for the camera. ("Make sure you do it with the flash on, I really recommend that...yeah, it's the little switch on the front. Is it on? Okay, good.")
I left the meet up so so happy, and when I sat down on the train to go home, I ended up chatting to the person next to me a bit. She was a casual Fall Out Boy listener it turned out, and when I opened up the sign to show it to her, I noticed that next to Joe's signature-

-he had drawn me a little smiley :') just something that made my heart soar that much higher.
Meeting Joe was genuinely one of the best experiences I've ever had. He gave his full attention to you as you talked, one knee on his chair, wiggling his flip flop sandals and chewing his nicotine gum (I know it's nicotine gum because we audibly heard Rick offer him some and he said yes and took it). Such a sweet guy and I would absolutely recommend that anybody meet him if they have the chance because though I've had to come home to my nine to five and all the issues in the world and in my own personal life...I cheer up a whole lot when I think about this interaction and see that photo of us together.
I do have to say, even as a 5'1 girlie, Joe is SMALLER that I thought he would be! Yes, he looks tall next to the rest of the band, but he is a SMALL BOY and do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Yes, he was leaning over on the table and I was elevated slightly above him, but even when he was standing straight, he did not come across as tall.
I do partially blame this interaction as the reason I went ahead and bought tickets to Innings Fest as well shdfjlsjdlhf but I'm glad I did! I hope to meet and make many more moots there and keep cheering Joe and the others on from wherever in the crowd I may be!
Maybe YOU shouldn't meet your heroes...but if your hero is Joe Trohman, I think you're better off giving it a shot. Here is a bonus photo or two of him being a very good listener.


#looooong ass post#the entire story!#joe trohman#i don't think i forgot anything but if i did i'll keep being annoying about it later#and i'll post the disposable photo once i get it developed#but i have to fill up the whole camera first so it might be a whiiiiile
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Smoking
The school day was already off to a bad start. The fire alarm went off, and everyone had their class walk to the front of the school. Lina stood with the other teachers while Janine stared at the substitute for her class with disdain and tskโd.
โJanine, you good?โ Lina asked.
โWhat you tskโing at, Tskโin Teagues?โ Gregory asked.
โI mean, look-look at this. My kids are just meandering. You know what I mean? You know, sheโs not even using the buddy system. I-โ Janine hummed.
โWhat even set off the alarm?โ Jacob looked at Barbara.
โDonโt look at me,โ Barbara replied as the fire captain walked out, โchurch and home are the only places my candles are lit,โ
โWhatโs not lit is another call from Abbott. At least itโs not a full fire this time. Just smoke,โ the captain gave Barbara a look, โit looks like someone lit a cigarette in one of the boysโ bathrooms,โ
Everyone started making noises of surprise.
โSeriously, who still smokes cigarettes?โ Jacob asked.
โSingle dads, criminalsโฆโ Greg listed off.
โMorton. Where is he? Probably lightinโ up in a back alley behind a dumpster. Scumbag,โ
โHey. A cig after a night of drinking kind of hits differently,โ Lina shrugged.
Melissa and Ava walked out with a student, โWe got him. Melissa sniffed him out,โ
โOh, yeah. You got menthols; you can run, but you canโt hide,โ Melissa smirked, โOne whiff, and I am 14 againโฆโ Melissa paused as she saw the cameras, โThinking Iโm gonna wait a couple of years before I try one of these,โ
โThat would only make you 16,โ Janine looked confused.
โThe smell always reminds me of my uncle,โ the captain said.
โOh, my aunt used to sit in a chair with a cig and a glass of Pinot Grig and recount โMoonlightingโ to me,โ Melissa recalled.
โYeah, my uncle used to do the same thing to me, except it was scotch and the Phillies game the night before,โ the captain smiled.
โChildhood,โ the two said in sync. The camera panned to Ava and Lina as they gave the camera a look and a smirk.
โNah, but this is a real problem,โ the captain emphasized.
โOh, yeah. Absolutely. Where did you even get a cigarette?โ Melissa asked the boy.
โThe guy around the corner sold it to me for a dollar,โ the boy said.
โA dollar? Inflation is crazy. But you are in big trouble because cigarettes are banned,โ Ava said.
โNot on any of the signs I saw,โ the boy retorted.
โWhat?โ Lina asked as all the teachers and captain looked around the front and saw that there wasnโt a no cigarettes sign on anything.
When everyone returned to their rooms, the teachers and Janine went to the office with Ava and started looking for rules on the school district website. However, none of them could find anything.
โOn the schoolโs website, we got โno skateboarding, no vaping, no loitering, no horseplay, no weapons, no open flames, no bullying, and no gambling.โ There is nothing here about cigarettes,โ Ava said, โdid yโall find anything?โ
โWell, I saw a sign on the hallway that said โno,โ but whatever was under it was graffiti over it,โ Janine said.
โYeah, that was a no graffiti sign,โ Barbara said.
โThe e-mail from the top of the year lists everything, I mean everything, including bringing a live spider to school, is grounds for expulsion, but it definitely doesnโt list cigarettes,โ Gregory said with his laptop in his hands.
โFidget spinners, banned. Cigarettes just seem to have evaded every sign weโve seen,โ Lina shook her head.
โWait, so many new hazards have come out that we forgot to put cigarettes on the ban list?โ Janine asked.
โGee willikers, I have nothing helpful to say, so I guess Iโll just restate the problem that weโre all aware of,โ Ava mocked, โThatโs you,โ
โYeah, I got it,โ Ava muttered.
When the meeting ended, Lina continued her day and taught her classes. She felt her phone vibrate, so while her students began a math worksheet she had provided, she pulled her phone out to see a text from Manny.
Hey! Does this Saturday work well for a date? I've always wanted to try this Italian spot near my place.
Lina smiled and replied yes, saying she was excited about it. Then, she shoved her phone back in her pocket and checked her emails. It wasn't until lunchtime that she went to the teachersโ lounge and sat with Janine, Gregory, and Jacob when Ava entered.
โHow can cigarettes not be banned?โ Barbara asked.
โYeah. Somebody really missed the mark on that one,โ Melissa glanced at Ava.
โI know my fit is going off today, but donโt look at me,โ Ava said, โI blameโฆJanine. What are yโall even doing down there at the district? Shuffling papers? Doing the Jubi slide? The children are smoking,โ
โWhatโs that Jubi slide?โ Barbara asked.
โItโs where you put your foot down and move in the opposite direction,โ Jacob explained while holding himself to demonstrate.
โI do not want to live in a world where white people explain dance moves to me,โ Barbara put her hands together while Jacob looked at the camera, dejected.
โYou know, I just donโt get it,โ Janine started, โI thought we beat cigarettes with the truth campaign. Itโs just so retro,โ
โWell, maybe theyโre getting cool again. I mean, clogs are back. Anythingโs possible,โ Melissa said.
โThere are some cool clogs, though. Granted, I only wear them inside or when I want to dress bummy to go to the bodega or something,โ Lina shrugged.
โI just canโt believe that children are smoking ragweed,โ Barbara said.
โI know! Donโt they know that smoking kills?โ Jacob said.
โJacob, donโt you literally vape?โ Lina asked.
โOk, thatโs different, and donโt you use the nicotine pouches? What are they calledโฆzyns?โ Jacob said.
โYeah, but vaping is worse. Youโre literally inhaling thousands of toxins. Zyns are also discrete and give me that nicotine push I want,โ Lina said, โwhich reminds me that I need to stop at the bodega so I can get some more,โ
โYou inhaled all through โSaltburn,โโ Ava pointed out.
โYeah, wellโฆJanine and Lina smoke weed every day.โ Jacob tried to get the heat off of him, which caused everybody to gasp.
โWe knew about Lina because sheโs basically like a person in the military with her Zyns and energy drink consumption, but damn, Afroman,โ Ava smirked.
โNope. Not every day,โ Janine shook her head.
โJanine,โ Melissa shook her head.
โReefer. Ganja. The Devilโs lettuce,โ Barbara smacked the table.
โThatโs why your feet so big,โ Mr. Johnson said.
โItโs medicinal, and itโs considerate. If I didnโt smoke, Iโd be an insufferable Energizer Bunny,โ Janine said.
โLike youโre not already?โ Lina raised an eyebrow, โif I didnโt smoke, then I would just be mean and a ball of anxiety,โ
โWho would have thought? Janine is off that loud,โ Ava smirked.
โAva, you canโt talk. Youโre a hookah head,โ Gregory defended Janine.
โMmhmm and microdosing. I just eyeball it and say, โYeah. Thatโs enough,โโ Ava said.
โNow, I donโt smoke, but I do enjoy a protein bar edible on the weekends,โ Gregory tried to relate to Janine but failed, โYou know, research actually shows-โ
Ava cut him off, โWow, this man just made drugs boring,โ
โI suggest you all drop your vices and take a hit of my drug of choice - J-E-S-U-S. Street name, Christ,โ Barbara put her arms out like she was on a cross.
โUh, youโve been known to demolish those little bottles of Chardonnay,โ Melissa said.
โAnd you snort that liquid marijuana,โ Barbara snapped back.
โYou donโt snort it. It is CBD oil, and I rub it on my joints,โ Melissa defended.
โItโs a gateway ointment,โ Jacob peeped up.
โYour lungs are literally dust,โ Lina pointed at Jacob.
โCrackheads. Speaking of joints, you ever submerge yourself in the essence of-โ Mr. Johnson started, but Janine stopped him.
โDo not finish that sentence,โ Janine said as she spotted a student recording their conversation.
โFranklincense and rosemary. I bathe in it while I hit a blunt,โ Mr. Johnson continued as the teachers rushed out of the lounge.
However, amid the chase, Lina got a call on her phone to see it was Manny, so she stopped and took a deep breath before answering.
โHey!โ Lina smiled.
โWhatโs up, beautiful?โ Mannyโs voice spilled through her phone.
โOh, stop it.โ Lina blushed with a little giggle. How is your day going?โ
โItโs good. Busy. How about yours?โ Manny asked as he sat back at his desk with a smile upon hearing her voice through his phone.
โOh, nothing super out of the ordinary. Just had a conversation in the lounge about drugs, only for a student to record it. Same, same,โย
โWhat? About drugs?โ Manny sat up with interest, โwhat do you mean?โ
โIโll tell you everything tonight, but right now, Iโm pretty sure everyone caught up to him, and Iโm 90% sure that he posted it online because students are looking at me,โ Lina sighed, โIโll talk to you tonight?โ
โIโll do you one better. Want to hang out at my place tonight?โ Manny asked, โYou can even bring an overnight bag if it runs too late. I donโt want you out and about after 10 for your safety,โ
โYeah. Iโd like that. Just a fair warning that I do have some homework and things to grade, so Iโll be multitasking while we hang out,โ
โThatโs no problem. I can even help you out,โ
โOk. Thanks, Iโll see you tonight at 8?โ Lina asked.
โSounds great. See you then, pretty girl,โ Manny smiled.
Lina hung up and walked to her class when Janine approached her with a smirk.
โWho was that? Iโve never seen you with such a big smile and blushing,โ Janine asked.
โItโs somebody that Iโm getting to know, and he is an absolute angel of a man,โ Lina smiled, โanyways, I gotta head back to my room and teach,โ
The two split, and Lina went back to her class. However, she was put off by the questions her class had for her. It was towards the end of the day, and all the kids had gone home. She went to the front to see all the other teachers gathered around.
โThese kids are out of control, and this needs to stop,โ Lina said as she leaned on the desk.
โWhat do we even say to them? We canโt just have our kids undermining us,โ Gregory said.
โOk, but how do we tell them not to smoke or do drugs when, one, they know that we do them, and, two, we canโt just say anything to them except for โjust say noโ?โ Jacob said.
โOk, well, Janine, youโre at the school district. Whatโs our move?โ Melissa asked.
โWe do have one more resource at our disposal,โ Janine said with a reluctant face, โI think itโs time to call in a professional,โ
The teachers nodded again before dispersing into their own directions. Lina quickly went to her room and grabbed her bag and lunch box before rushing out of the school and saying bye to her fellow teachers, who looked at her in confusion. Janine looked at her rushing figure as Gregory stepped out of his class to ask Janine what Lina rushing out was about.
โShe has this little fling, I guess, and I think theyโre hanging out tonight,โ Janine smiled.
โOh, ok,โ Gregory nodded and returned to his classroom. Janine took her phone out and texted the district group chat to see if they wanted to get a drink or two afterward. However, Manny responded, saying that he had plans tonight. Janine looked at the message and wondered if these two were talking to each other, but she shook her head and went about her day.
Lina finally got to her place and showered before putting on her undergarments. She was walking around her room as she looked at the clothes she laid out for tomorrow's workday. She settled with a pair of black slacks and a simple white long-sleeve that will be topped with a cream and brown flannel. The teacher moved onto her pajamas that she would wear at Mannyโs place for the slight possibility that she was staying the night and settled with white and red plaid cotton shorts and a black crop tank top. At the last minute, she grabbed her workout stuff just in case they could sleep at a decent time so she could go to the gym before. When she figured that out, she looked at her closet and quickly settled with her black leggings, oversized Philly crewneck, and white Crocs with Jibbitz on them. Her hair was down in her natural waves, with her front pieces framing her face. Lina then gathered her toiletries and shoved them in her bag.
She gathered her ungraded assignments and schoolwork and started her way out. When she got to her car, she realized it was colder than she had thought, so she ran in and grabbed her brown Carhartt beanie. She connected her phone to her car and started her journey to Mannyโs place. When she arrived, she realized there were reserved parking spaces, so she called him.
โHey. I just got here and donโt know where to park,โ Lina said.
โOh, shit. I forgot. Come closer to where my building is, and youโll see me stand where you should park,โ Manny said. The sounds of him putting his shoes on could be heard over the phone.
โOk, see you in a little,โ Lina hung up the phone and drove deeper into the buildings to see Manny standing outside with no sweater. She quickly parked the car and got out, โWhat are you doing?! Itโs freezing. Get back inside, and I can get my bags,โ
โWhat kind of a gentleman would I be to let you bring in your bags yourself?โ Manny smiled, opened the backseat to grab her 2 bags, and put an arm out. She wrapped an arm around his own, and he led them into his place.
When they went inside, Lina looked around to see it was clean and had a nice feel to the place. She noticed the dark green walls and the dark furniture to go with the walls. It had a nice, homey feel to it.
โThis is a really nice place,โ Lina said as she looked around.
โThank you. I try to have it as clean as possible and looking as aesthetically pleasing as possible, too,โ Manny said as he put her bags on the couch, โNow, what do you want for dinner? I have steaks and chicken,โ
โOh, itโs fine. I can cook for us,โ Lina smiled.
โNo, no. Sit down and do whatever you need to do, and I will cook us dinner.โ Manny smiled. Which one do you prefer?โ
โSteaks,โ Lina said, โmedium rare,โ
โAlright. 2 medium rare steaks coming right up,โ Manny winked and went into the kitchen as Lina grabbed her stuff and settled onto the dining room table that had a clear view of the kitchen, โtell me about your day,โ
โOh, it was good. Stressful, but good,โ Lina said. The two had talked about both of their days while Lina graded her studentsโ papers and Manny was cooking their dinners. However, Lina couldnโt help but watch Manny cook and let her eyes roam. His posture was straight, and he moved with fluidity around his kitchen, but the main thing that caught her eye was the way his muscles rippled as he moved his arms or gripped the pan with the steaks cooking on it.
Manny felt her gaze and couldnโt help but smirk at the thought of her watching him, so he turned his head and gave her a wink, which caused her to blush. She forced herself not to look away. The two stared at each other until Manny looked away to check the steaks. Lina turned away and finished her grading, so she put her stuff back into her bag and sat back down at the dining room table with her body positioned towards the kitchen. Dinner was done, so Manny grabbed a couple of plates, plated the steak, and removed the potatoes from the air fryer. He took the two plates and set one in front of Lina and the other in front of the chair that was across from her.
โWould you like some red wine?โ Manny asked.
โYes, please,โ Lina smiled.
Manny got up and grabbed two wine glasses and the wine from the fridge. He put one in front of Lina and poured the wine out, which drove Lina crazy as she felt his body heat behind her. Lina thanked Manny as he sat down and poured his own glass of wine. The two continued talking and eating until it turned into them talking and drinking their wine. However, it was disrupted by knocking on his door.
Manny looked confused as he opened the door, which revealed Janine, Emily, and Simon.
โWhat are you guys doing here?โ Manny asked.
โI told them that we shouldnโt, but they kind of came here anyways,โ Janine said as she saw Lina sitting at the dining room table, โLina?โ
โHeyy, Janine,โ Lina awkwardly smiled.
โOh, Iโm sorry, dude. I didnโt know you had a female over tonight,โ Simon rubbed the back of his neck, โWeโll see you tomorrow,โ
โYeah, see you,โ Manny glared at the three of them before shutting the door and turning to Lina with a small chuckle, โSorry about that,โย
โYouโre fine,โ Lina giggled, โthey seem nice. I already know Janine is, but your friends are,โย
โYeah, but they can be a bit of a handful.โ Manny shook his head. " Do you Want to relax on the couch?โ
โYeah, sure,โ Lina nodded and turned towards the time to see that it was 9:30, โOh, shoot, it is kind of late. I like to go to the gym at 4 am,โ
โReally? Me too! My apartment has a gym, so we can use that if you would like. I got extra towels for you to use,โ Manny pointed toward the other end of the apartment.
โReally? Ok. Iโm definitely down to do that,โ Lina blushed, โWant to watch a movie then?โ
โYeah, what do you want to watch?โ Manny asked, โI have every streaming service there is,โ
โLetโs watchโฆโ Lina tapped her chin in a thinking motion, โThe Greatest Showman,โ
Manny laughed, โOk. Letโs put it on,โ
The two started watching The Greatest Showman, and Lina couldnโt help but start singing along to the movie. It was by far her favorite musical movie that ever existed. Manny stared at her as she started singing and couldnโt help but smile at her antics. In a surge of confidence, Manny moved closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She smiled as she leaned her head on his shoulder and felt the fatigue hit her.
โIโm getting kind of tired, and itโs 10 at night. I can take the couch,โ Lina said as she rubbed her eyes.
โNo. Take the bed, and Iโll take the couch,โ Manny said.
โHow about both of us just sleep on the bed,โ Lina shrugged, โweโre adults,โ
Manny cleared his throat. " OK, we can do that. " He stood up and put a hand out for Lina to take. He held her hand as he guided her to his room, holding the bag of her clothes and toiletries in his other hand. He set the bag on the bed, let go of her hand, and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Lina opened her bag and grabbed her pajamas, night and day skincare routine, toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash. When she entered the bathroom, Manny had just spit out his toothpaste and returned his toothbrush to the holder. He softly smiled at her and walked out, closing the door to give her privacy as she changed. She quickly changed into her pajamas and neatly folded the clothes she wore before brushing her teeth and opening the door again in case Manny had to use the bathroom while doing her nighttime routine. Manny turned his head at the sound of the door opening to see her in her pajamas, and he couldnโt help but stare at her voluptuous behind, which was thanks to her consistency in working out and wanting to be a muscle mommy.
She was unaware of the staring as she finished brushing her teeth and skincare routine. When she walked out of the bathroom, Manny successfully made it seem like he wasnโt looking at her. The two lay in bed silently until Lina turned to look at Manny.
โGood night, Manny,โ
โGood night, Lina,โ Manny said as he turned on his side to look at Lina too.
The two drifted off to the best sleep of their lives. Hours of slumber passed until 4 a.m. when both of their alarms went off. The two slammed their hands on their respective phones in an attempt to turn them off. Groggily, they opened their eyes to see that they were spooning, so they quickly got up and apologized to each other simultaneously.
โIโm so sorry!โ Lina blushed.
โNo, I should be sorry,โ Manny blushed as well, โshould we just get ready for the gym?โ
โYes, please,โ Lina chuckled. The two went to the bathroom and performed their morning routines. They were done at the same time and were out the door.
Lina wore spandex shorts with a pair of oversized sweats over them and an oversized shirt tucked into the back of her sports bra. When they entered the gym, Lina looked around to see if they had the machines and weights she needed, so she nodded and stretched her legs out. The two were stretching together when Lina asked what he was working out. Manny was working out his arms while she was doing legs.
The two separated and did their own workouts, but both were distracted by the other whenever they did an exercise. Lina was finally feeling a pump in her glutes and legs, so she took off her sweats, continued her workouts, and blushed whenever she felt Mannyโs gaze on her as she worked out. When they were done, they went back to the apartment and to the room.
Manny took off his sweaty shirt which didnโt go unnoticed by Lina who spared a glance at him. He turned to her, โyou can take the first shower. Iโll make us some protein shakes. Is strawberry banana protein shake sound good?โ
โYeah, Iโm good with that. Thank you,โ Lina smiled and went into the bathroom, closing the door.
After her shower and freshly washed hair, she took out her hair dryer that she packed with a diffuser attachment as she dried her hair and made her curls pop more. When her hair was done, she put it in a half up, half down hairstyle with the front pieces to frame her face. Her clothes that she packed before were on her body and she walked out to see Manny walk into the room with 2 glasses of protein smoothie shakes.
โHey! Iโm sorry I took so long. Iโm done here and Iโll hang out in the living room,โ Lina said with a smile, โthank you for the shake by the way,โ Lina grabbed a glass and took a sip, โthis is really good!โ
โThank you. I tend to want good tasting protein shakes,โ Manny chuckled. Lina chuckled along with him and nodded before grabbing her overnight bag and heading to the living room.
She spent that time on her phone, scrolling though TikTok while hearing the shower start up again. 15 minutes had passed when the shower had stopped and she determined that Manny was done with his shower. She went to the sink and put her dirty glass in before starting to clean the dishes. In the midst of her washing the dishes, Manny walked out dressed in a plain black shirt, black pants, and a brown cardigan over with his work shoes.
โHey, you didnโt have to do the dishes. I can do them when Iโm back from work,โ Manny said.
โWhat kind of guest would I be if I didnโt do something to help you out as a thanks to letting me stay the night,โ Lina blushed, โbesides, I can hear my mom yelling at me in my head about not helping the host out,โ
โOk. Thank you, pretty girl,โ Manny smiled, โAre you ready to leave?โ
โYeah, let me grab my bags and weโll go,โ Lina dried her hands on the towel that hung on the cabinets below the sinks.
โNo need,โ Manny held up her bags, โI got them,โ
The two left the apartment and Manny walked her to her car. They hugged and bid each other a see you later since they had a date that weekend. When she got to school, she saw the FADE organization there so she went inside and gathered her class to go to the assembly. When she got there, she saw Gregory and Janine talking so she put the kids in their seats and sat at the back with the rest of the faculty.
When the assembly was over, Lina had to look through her studentsโ bags to see if they snuck any contraband on school property. She felt bad as she looked through each bag so she went to the lounge when lunch came around and walked in a few minutes after Ava came in.
โWhen you bring a substance in, you get suspended,โ Barbara said.
โThis seems like overkill to do all this,โ Janine said, โwithout even having an honest conversation with Curtis or any of our students,โ
โWell, thatโs the system for ya,โ Melissa said, โweโre not allowed to say anything except โdrugs are bad,โโ
โIt just all seems ridiculous. Curtis is a good kid,โ Gregory said.
โHeโs an โAโ student. He doesnโt bother anyone. Itโs kind of uncharacteristic that he smokes,โ Jacob said.
โSmokes or smoked?โ Lina asked, โDo we even know if heโs done this before?โ
Everyone was looking at each other in thought as none of them knew whether he did it before or if it was only a one time thing.
โWe let this thing get so out of control,โ Barbara said, โWe forgot to ask the boy what happened,โ
โSo, I guess I got to suspend him,โ Ava said.
โHold on. Let me talk to him. Heโs been spending a lot of time in my classroom and I think heโs comfortable with me,โ Gregory gathered his stuff.
โIโll go with you. As a former child smoker. I can probable cough up some advice,โ Melissa stood up and started walking before coughing, โSee, itโs not funny,โ
โYeah, letโs see what else you cough up,โ Lina muttered with a chuckle.
The day continued, and it was towards the end of the day, and all the teachers, Ava and Mr. Johnson stood at the front desk. Everyone encouraged Jacob to let go of his vape, which he stared at in front of his face. Everyone was cheering when he dropped it in the trash, and Melissa recorded the monumental moment when Jacob dove right into the trashcan to get it back. Everyone started trying to stop him in disbelief as he resubmerged with his vape. Mr. Johnson and Gregory wrestled it out of his hands and threw it back into the trash as Gregory kept ahold of Jacob. Lina couldnโt help but laugh at that before gathering her things again, walking out to her car, and driving out of the school.
#abbott elementary#abbott elementary imagine#a lesson in love story#manny rivera abbott elementary#manny rivera x oc#manny rivera#abbott elementary x oc
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FUMIKAGE SLEEPY HEADCANONS!!
1. has a bunch of sleeping problems (insomnia, sleep paralysis, nightmares you name it)
2. makes bird noises while sleeping involuntarily (birds in the wild do this to scare away predators!!)
3. a sleep cuddler!! has to be holding onto something or next to someone (usually next to dark shadow as seen in the volume 38 back cover!!)
4. sometimes while sleeping heโll randomly sit up and say something like โthey are coming.โ in a deeper voice than normal then just immediately flop back to normal sleeping (thank you to my beautiful lovely girlfriend who gave me this idea by talking about how her brother done this once!!)
5. DEEPEST SLEEPER EVER. someone in 1A once tried to wake him up and genuinely thought he was dead
6. moves around so much in his sleep he ends up on the floor at least once a week
7. dark shadow is his personal alarm clock (this wasnโt a choice)
8. sleeps with the lights on due to dark shadow (kinda canon in the mha smash manga but apparently none of that is canon so๐ข)
9. if he isnโt sleeping with the lights on then he has either candles or nightlights (lets dark shadow choose the nightlights and they always end up choosing like a cartoon duck or something)
10. maladaptive daydreams to get himself to sleep (not projecting with this one guys!! haha!! ๐๐ /j)
11. has the worst bed hair ever (except I headcanon him to have like hair and feathers mixed together so heโs gotta brush it AND preen)
12. in the morning when heโs super tired heโll forget to speak in like a gothic way and class 1A was so confused the first time
13. arranges his pillows on his bed to be sort of a nest but will make it look normal during the day just incase anyone goes into his room
14. his sleeping schedule is on the same level as Aizawaโs๐จ
15. morning voice is way deeper than his usual one and itโs concerning
16. before his morning coffee heโs way more like assertive like not taking any mean remarks from anyone (the first time he talked back to Bakugouโs โbirdbrainโ nickname 1A didnโt stop talking about it for so long)
17. refuses to yawn??๐
18. dark shadow knows all of class 1Aโs alarms and mimics them at 3AM๐๐ (TY TO SOMEONE ON TIKTOK FOR THIS ONE!!)

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The first of December is coming closer and closer! And you can still claim a prompt for the Witcher Yuletime calendar.
For the prompts that have not been claimed yet, I've added alternative ones, maybe one of them tickles your creativity?
But there can be more than one entry for the same prompt. The more, the merrier!
No time to create something new? Not a problem! You can also share an old work of yours or recommend somebody else's work! Any form of fanwork (except AI) is welcome as long as it fits the spirit of the season.
The overall goal of the event is to have at least one entry for every day that other people can enjoy during Yuletide as their daily dose of The Witcher.
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to send an ask!
1 - cold / freezing
2 - (shooting) star / comet / bath (tub)
3 - old friend / friends
4 - shelter
5 - hot beverage (coffee, tea, cocoa etc.) / alcoholic / chocolate / decorations
6 - fire (place) / hot
7 - cat
8 - flowers / bouquet / candle
9 - hot spring
10 - tree / forest / Christmas tree / turkey / fish / dinner
11 - dog / puppy / goat
12 - mistletoe
13 - snow / snowflake(s)
14 - lips / kiss
15 - (Christmas) cookies / baking
16 - moon / moon light / night
17 - snowman / roast chestnuts / market
18 - wool / knitting / crocheting
19 - dice / cards / game
20 - unicorn / book / story / surprise
21 - gloves / mittens
22 - sleigh / sled / sledge / toboggan / ice skating
23 - present
24 - heart / love / make up your own prompt
Please share this post so that many Witcher fans can join the event. Thank you!
Rules/FAQs below the cut.
Claim a day/prompt (or more than one) and post something for it before your day, tagging @witchermonstermayhem and #yuletidecalendar so that I can find and share it with everybody on the day the calendar door opens.
What can you share? Fics, Poems, Art, Edits, Recipes, Mood boards, whatever you like! It should fit the prompt and the season and must be related to The Witcher somehow.
Do I have to create something new? - No! You can also share an old work of yours or recommend somebody else's work. The only thing that's not allowed is AI created stuff.
How do I claim a prompt? - Please send me a message to let me know which prompt(s) you'd like to share something for until 30th November.
Is NSFW allowed? - Yes! Just tag it properly, please.
Are modern AUs and crossovers allowed? - Yes, definitely!
I missed the deadline to claim a prompt. Can I still participate? - Yes, no problem! Just post before the day of the prompt and tag me so that I can share it. The claiming is just so that I can see which days have not been claimed and can find something to share myself.
Can I combine this event with other events? - Yes! As long as the other event allows it, combine as much as you like. For example there's @fluff-cember, @whumpcember, @hurtcember, @12daysofchristmas or maybe you have a bingo card that is not done yet.
Can I combine different days of the event? - No, not really as each entry is for one specific day only. If you want to write a single fic for several prompts, it will work only if the prompts are used in different chapters and in chronological order.
Can I be a completionist? - If you want to share something for every day, that's awesome and then you're definitely a completionist! But it's also great if you share something for just one day.
Is there an Ao3 collection? Yes, it's here: WitcheryYuletideCalendar
(You can already post to it, but it won't be revealed before 1st December)
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to send an ask!
Please share this post so that many Witcher fans can join the event. Thank you!
#yuletidecalendar#the witcher#the witcher prompt event#witchermonstermayhem#the witcher novels#the witcher event#the witcher fanfiction#the witcher netflix#the witcher games#the witcher fanart#witcher prompts#the witcher tv#the witcher books#yuletide#prompt event
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