#friends thought me having just chicken and rice was odd but i enjoyed it

[senseiwu]

Always freaking terrified of going places with people and not being able to eat anything on the menu and them thinking I think it's all disgusting or that I don't like food from other cultures or think it's disgusting or something

[pink-tonic]

You're Oddly Sweet📰

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Warnings: None

I'm not sure how I got into this situation. It was a normal day, but when lunch time came, I was approached by Shidesu. I was near one of the vending machines, and Taeko and Taro were in the club room waiting for me to come back. I turned around, and I saw Shidesu. I thought it was odd that he was in the school, but he was near the vending machine, so I assumed he just came in for a snack.

I was going to leave, but Shidesu spoke, and he wanted to have lunch with me, and that's how I'm next to him on the rooftop.

"So, why did you want to have lunch with me?" I ask him as I take a bite out of the bento that Taeko made me. I remember when I told her that I was going to be with Shidesu, she was a little mad. She shoved the green bento box into my hands and sent me on my way. The recent memory greatly embarrassed me since Shidesu was standing right behind me.

"Just wanted to talk to someone other than the guys," he tells me as he takes a quick sip from his soda. I guess, the answer makes sense, but I don't really like it all that much. Why the hell did he want to be with me out of all people? It didn't make a lot of sense.

So I question it, "Why me? I'm not exactly your type."

"And who said that?" He quickly asks me. The reaction catches me off guard. Why is he so defensive all of a sudden?

"No one. I just thought-"

"Well, you thought wrong, alright. I actually enjoy your presence," he told me quickly. I wonder if he wants me to think differently of him.

"We just met?" I question.

"What, I can't get to know you? Some world we live in," he scoffs as he looks away from me.

"I mean, if you do want to get to know me, I don't mind," I tell him as I keep eating from the bento box. I look at Shidesu, and I notice that he finished his soda, but I just noticed that he doesn't have anything else to eat. Why did he only get soda? Is he trying to starve himself?

I move my bento box closer to him, and I point at it with my chopsticks, "Get some. A soda isn't enough for someone like you."

"For someone like me? Are you calling me fat or something, (L/N)?" I swear I could see a flash of hurt go through his golden eyes, but it quickly left, and it got replaced with a look that could kill me.

"No. Just have some, Shidesu. I know you're hungry. You can have the rest of it if you want," I tell him as I go to clean the plastic chopsticks with a napkin that Taeko gave me. I then give him the chopsticks.

He takes them and looks at me, "You're not even going to wash them?"

"Take it, or I'll take it back," I tell him before leaning against the wall and closing my eyes. I'm still so tired from everything, and now I have to deal with a delinquent who I have no idea what he wants from me.

"This is really good. I guess your little girlfriend can really cook," Shidesu tells me as he takes a bite from the rice.

I let out a sigh and shake my head, "She's not my girlfriend, she's a close friend."

"Really? Good," he tells me before looking back down at the bento in his hands.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing."

"Fine."

I don't really enjoy my time with Shidesu. I wish that I was with the siblings instead of this delinquent. We don't have much in common, and I don't even know how to keep a conversation going with him. The lunch feels longer than usual, but I try my best to push through it.

Then, a familiar face shows up. Wearing his red cape, a rose in his hair, and his violet hair, I see Kizano making a beeline for me once he sees me on one of the benches.

"There you are, darling!" Kizano walks over to me, but he stops when he sees Shidesu next to me, "Darling, who is...?"

"No one to you," Shidesu keeps eating from the bento box, taking large bites out of the rice and chicken.

"Is that so? Well, I guess you wouldn't mind me taking him for a moment, will you?" Kizano asks with a coy smile.

"I do mind. I don't know what game you're playing, drama king, but leave us alone and go somewhere else," Shidesu dismisses Kizano. Kizano looks taken back from the way Shidesu talks to him. I don't think anyone has talked to Kizano that way in his life.

I turn to look at Kizano and give him a smile that I hope will make him feel better, "How about we talk tomorrow? Would that be alright, Kizano?"

"Yes, it would be good. I'll see you later," Kizano quickly says, but I can hear the frustration laced in his voice as he walks off and goes back into the school.

"What is he to you? Seemed too buddy-buddy to me," Shidesu tells me as he closes the bento and places it on the bench on the empty space between us.

"A friend... I suppose," I really didn't know what to consider Kizano. He was too close to be considered a normal friend, but we aren't dating either. But I guess being friends would be the closest thing to labeling our relationship.

"What, you like the guy?"

"I mean, I do find him interesting."

"Just keep it that way."

"What do you mean?"

"Alright, I gotta go. I'll see around later," he gets up and leaves without saying another word. I watch him go back inside, and I'm only left with my thoughts. I feel like I'm going to lose my mind trying to understand him. Why did he have to come into my life now?

My mind starts to wonder about the Rana situation that happened. I feel that when it first happened, I went into a slight state of shock, but I know I need to try my best to move on. Luckily, he isn't here anymore, and he can't put his disgusting hands on me or anyone else. I can at least be thankful for that.

The bell soon rings, and I start to head to class. As I walk down the hall to my next class, I get an idea. An idea that could make my friendship with Shidesu worth it. I could use his status as a delinquent to my advantage. It could give me more connection and more people on my side. It really could be worth it.

And it could be the step in the right direction to arresting Ayato, I just gotta play it right.

[dildeaux-san]

Suga sat in his dorm room, enjoying his lunch when Daichi walked in. Suga smirked as the alpha plopped down in front of him, tossing his bag aside with a dramatic thud. “Finally decided to grace me with your presence, huh?” he teased, raising an eyebrow.

Daichi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know. The great and mighty Suga deserves to have his lunch partner on time. I got caught up studying with Kuroo.”

“Oh?” Suga replied, perking up. “Is that what the kids are calling it now? Studying?” He asks as he wiggles his eyebrows at his best friend.

Daichi’s face flushes with blush. “You…” he said, reaching for the offered bento. “We were just studying,” he mumbled.

Suga laughed, nudging Daichi’s shoulder with his own. “Whatever you say,” he said with a wink. “Anything exciting happen during your first day so far captain?”

“Not really,” Daichi said before taking a big bite. “What about you? Anything exciting to report on your end?”

“I met someone.” Suga dramatically states.

The alpha chokes on a bite of rice and whips his head toward Suga, his eyes wide. “Met some…one?” He coughs out.

“Yeah!” Suga gave him a big smirk, he could barely contain his excitement any longer and eagerly blurted out, “Do you know who’s in my economics class?”

Daichi, taken aback by Suga’s sudden burst of enthusiasm, furrowed his brows and shook his head. “No, who is it?”

Suga’s grin widened, and he practically squealed, “Ushijima Wakatoshi!”

Daichi nearly choked on another bite of food he had just taken, his eyes almost bulging out of his head. “What?!” he exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. “Ushijima goes here too? I thought I had saw him on the roster for the volleyball team but didn’t think it was actually him. I thought he was picked for the national team?”

“That’s what he i thought as well, but he said he’s taking time to focus on his academics and wanted to hone his skills. If that’s even possible…” Suga pushes a piece of chicken around in the bento thinking.

“So did you two talk to each other?” Daichi asks, taking another bite, pulling Suga from his thoughts.

The omega nodded eagerly, excitement radiating from every fiber of his being. “Yes! And guess what? We’re even partners for the project our professor assigned!”

Daichi’s expression shifted from shock to amazement. “Holy shit,” he muttered, his mind racing to process this unexpected turn of events. “Well, I guess that’s one way to keep your Karasuno connections strong.”

Suga laughed, the sound filling the room with warmth and joy. “I guess university will be exciting. I didn’t think things would feel this different.”

“For sure,” Daichi smiles at his best friend. “I can’t even imagine the amount of trouble I’m going to have to bail you out of.”

“Eh?” Suga crosses his arms in a pout. “I never get in trouble!”

“Sure,” Daichi snorts. “Tell me that again when I have to call your mother and tell her you’ve been arrested.”

“Ooh. What do you think she’ll say? Maybe she’ll convince my dad to help her to break me out.” Suga smiles mischievously, plotting ways to get into trouble and be a big(ger) headache for his best friend.

“I don’t know how I’m going to survive as your roommate for a whole year,” Daichi mockingly sighs.

“Don’t worry, if you need the room to “study” with Kuroo, just send a text. I’ll find something to do-“

“Suga!” Daichi’s ears and neck turn red.

“Just make sure you air the place out before I come back. It’s bad enough with one alpha sticking the place up,” Suga snickers and punches his arm.

The two bickered back and forth until it was time to head back to their last classes of the day. Suga thinking back to seeing Ushijima again, how odd it was that he wasn’t playing for the national team (and how hot he was.) A small flutter in his stomach made him curious and excited to see what the future would hold between the two.

_____________________________________

Ushijima absentmindedly scrolled through his phone, his eyes catching a glimpse of a picture that sent a surge of unease through him. It was a photo of Oikawa, and from the location tag, Ushijima deduced that he was in Argentina. Confusion clouded his features as he wondered why the omega had traveled so far away.

A rush of memories flooded Ushijima’s mind, reminding him that Suga and Oikawa had been dating in high school. The thought of Suga and Oikawa still being together caused a knot of panic to tighten in Ushijima’s chest. He couldn’t help but question what their relationship status now. Especially now that he has met the omega again.

Driven by a mix of curiosity and a gnawing feeling of insecurity, Ushijima clicked on Oikawa’s profile, searching for answers. To his surprise, there was only one picture of Oikawa and Suga—a snapshot captured after Oikawa’s graduation, the two omegas beaming with genuine happiness. The image bore a simple heart symbol as its caption, leaving Ushijima with more questions than answers.

Frowning, Ushijima’s mind raced with conflicting thoughts and emotions. He pondered the nature of Suga and Oikawa’s relationship, uncertain about the state of their connection. The realization that they might still be together struck a chord of jealousy within him, but he couldn’t ignore the possibility that things had changed between them over time.

Interrupting his deep train of thought, the coach’s voice snapped Ushijima back to reality. “Break’s over, team! Let’s set up for drills!” he called out, commanding the attention of the players. Ushijima swiftly pushed his concerns aside, tucking them away for the time being, and joined his teammates to focus on his training ahead.

As Ushijima immersed himself in the drills, the uncertainties regarding Suga, Oikawa, and his own feelings simmered beneath the surface. He knew he had to confront these emotions eventually, but for now, he channeled his energy into becoming a stronger player, determined to excel both on and off the court.

[quirklessidiot]

title : cigarettes and parfaits [4]  pairing : older!nanami kento x younger!reader [13 year age gap, ft toji fushiguro] Genre: romance, fluff, slice of life, josei, angst, comedy, strangers to lovers au

Summary: you’re pretty sure you’d remember marrying a man 13 years older than you, right? Warnings: alcohol, smoking, mild smut, y/n making stupid decisions, cliche fluff, everyones a human-au so yeh non-canon stuff and everyone’s happy (periODT)

Notes: lil development right there HAHSHSHHS , yes tojis appearing soon guYS hddhdhdh thank u for ur patience ily all and yall stay safe and drink lots and ltos of water!! sorry for the late update!

Masterlist || taglist || [prev ; next] [updates; every saturday!]

You stare at the ring on your hand as you stand next to Nanami Kento in the grocery shop, you and him have agreed to see each other and go out once a week while fixing up the divorce papers. 

Last week you both had gone to a cafe after work but had to end early since Yuuji had fell down the stairs (despite being athletic, the boy was awfully clumsy). This week, you both decided to do something mundane.

Grocery shopping.

“Hm, what does Yuuji think about this?” You asked, showing the man some bars of rice krispies, “He seems to be a sweet-tooth.”

“Sukuna is the sweet-tooth, Yuuji isn’t really picky with food.”

“Huh,” You hummed,  “Sukuna seems so soft despite all the tattoo’s.”

Nanami rolls his eyes at your statement, “He’s just, as kids like to call these days, a nerd.” he retorts, taking the peanut butter off the shelf and carefully placing it in the grocery cart, “He enjoys mathematics and art,”

“Ah, hence the tattoo’s.” you thought out loud.

“I almost lost it when he went home a few months ago looking like that.” He sighs, running his hands through his hair, “It was a sign of rebellion, saying that he didn’t want to move to Tokyo.”

You chuckled, eyes on him, “Must’ve shot up your blood pressure, Kento.”

He clicks his tongue in dismay, the memory still fresh. Nanami Kento    unlike what Gojo Satoru said    was a very easy person to like and accompany. Ever since that ‘mild’ mishap two weeks ago, you’d have calls and little quick meet-ups aside from the once a week dates. 

At times it felt like the little wedding at the Izakaya hadn’t happened, it was as if you were just going out with him.

Nanami Kento didn’t even have to try so hard to make you comfortable, he was just...there and everything just seemed right. He had easily fit right in with your routine.

You continue to watch him and he stops in the middle of his tracks, blinking heavily, “Ah,” he mumbles, placing a hand over his eye.

“Oh,” you paused in your tracks too, “Are you alright, Kento?”

“Just dust,” He mumbles, “It probably got in.”

You hold back a laugh, how mundane, “Here, let me…”

You slowly take his hand away from his face, his eyes shut tight, trying to hold in the pain from the dust getting in his eyes, “Do you mind bending down a bit lower, Kento?” you ask, “I’ll have to blow it out of your eye.”

Nanami follows your orders and bends down. You slowly cup his cheeks and lean in closer to his eyes and softly blow. You notice the slight twinge of his body, the reaction making you inwardly giddy, “Feel better?” you whispered.

The older man opens his eyes and only then do you notice just how close you two were with each other. For a moment, movement around you is slow and you don’t even notice Maki Zen’in standing right in front of you along with Yuta Okkatsu.

“Sensei?”

You finally snap back to reality when you hear that very familiar voice calling you out. It seemed like Nanami had been caught up in the moment too, “Oh,” You cleared your throat, letting go immediately of Nanami’s face and jumping back, “Maki-chan.Yuta-kun. What a surprise.”

The young girl narrowed her eyes while Yuta’s ears were evidently red, signaling that he felt very embarrassed to walk in on that moment, “Hi sensei.” Yuta greets, clearing his throat, “I-uh sorry about that, I told Maki to walk away and-”

“It’s fine, Yuta-kun.” You laugh, a bit nervous. What would happen if she told Yuji and Sukuna about this? You knew how Maki was sort of close with the twins, although she did not know who Nanami was, she may describe him and if the boys were smart enough to catch on with it, you’d be entangled in it pretty quickly and you weren’t ready to meet them as their ‘oji-san’s’ partner. 

You were a bit nervous and it was showing.

Nanami takes quick notice of this and slowly wraps his fingers around yours, a small smile appearing on his lips, “Good afternoon, you must be my partner’s students.” he greets, the man had a way with younger ones, you could only imagine how he was as a father figure to the boys growing up,  “It’s nice to finally put some faces on the kids that Y/N loves to gush about.”

Unlike your nervousness a while ago, this man is calm, cool, and collected. You almost envy him at how good he’s doing this.

“At least you picked someone better than Toji-ojisan.” Maki nods, “This guy looks actually more serious with life than him.”

You feel Nanami’s brow quirk up at what she just said.

“A-Anyways, Sensei…” Yuta clears his throat, “We’ll leave you and your boyfriend together. See you at Math class tomorrow!” He hurriedly grabs Maki’s wrist and zooms away at a speed of light. Leaving you two awkwardly standing there.

“Toji?” Nanami asks, curiously peering at you, “An admirer, I assume?”

“Megumi’s otosan.” You mumbled, embarrassed, “He likes to play jokes and all that. It’s nothing serious.”

“Hm.” he mumbled, a small dismayed look crossed his features and you wonder why, “If he does anything uncomfortable, you can pull my name out. I wouldn’t mind.”

“I’ll be sure to take note of that.” 

You both continue your way down the grocery aisle, not even noticing that he still has his long hand wrapped around yours.

“Y/N-sensei…” Nobara drawled, placing her head on top of the wooden end of the mop, “How come we never knew you had a boyfriend?”

“Oi,” Megumi growled, “You’re supposed to be cleaning.”

“You’re just jealous that Y/N-sensei didn’t get to be your new okaasan.” Nobara bit back, putting her tongue out. You watched as the raven-haired boy chunk the blackboard eraser at her direction, a vein popping in his forehead.

“Stupid,” He replied, “I’d never let Y/N-sensei near the jiji.”

“What’s he like, Y/N-sensei?” Junpei asked, tapping his chin, cutting the argument short,  “I heard Maki-senpai talking about him.”

You watch as Yuuji placed his head on his best friend’s shoulder, “Yeah, she was telling me how older he looked than you.” he exclaimed, you nervously gulped down. Yuuji sure wasn’t helping the situation at all.

“Well,” You chuckled, trying to remain calm and oblivious, “He’s nice and he has kids.”

“Ha.” Sukuna droned, stopping whatever he was doing,  his punishment     despite not being given any by Nitta    was helping the cleaners clean for the whole week, much to his dismay, he had to follow or you’d be giving him a slip, “You’re dating an old man? I thought the reason why you didn’t date the Zen’in-jiji was because he was old and he had kids.”

“Oh.” you looked down on your books on the desk, embarrassed, “I don’t have a problem with kids. In fact, I’d love to meet them.”

“Wah,” Yuuji’s eyes were sparkling now as he hurried in front of you and placed his elbows on top of your table and head on top of his hands, “I hope I really get to meet someone like you, sensei.”

“Stupid, I doubt any sane person would want to go with you.” Nobara said across the room, making Yuuji glare at her and started teasing her.

You chuckled once again at their antics. Meanwhile Sukuna continues to stare at you, eyes narrowing especially at the ring on your ring finger. For some odd reason, it held quite the familiarity.

Yuuji likes to think that Nanamin is the best godfather out there, technically, he was like a father to them already. So he had always wondered why he never got married, he was sure that when they were out a few times, many women would crowd for their ojisan. 

His father’s very close friend, Haibara-ojisan had mentioned one fleeting moment back when he was babysitting them that Nanamin was very secretive on who he liked that even he didn’t know if he’d ever been in a relationship.

But things were different these days, for the past two weeks, he’d have one day wherein he’d go home later than usual. It was odd to say the least    and not like he minded really, they were high school kids after all     since Nanamin hated overtimes.

He mentioned it to Sukuna but his twin just rolled his eyes and said, “Man probably needs to chase the bag or something, he technically is paying for this nice house and two freeloaders here.” 

Yuuji doubted it though! Nanamin earned pretty well and he didn’t really need overtime since he was technically the boss or so he heard from Geto-ojisan a few nights ago.

So while he was making them some katsudon for dinner that night and Yuuji was doing some homework for your class, he decided to ask the question.

“Saaay, nanamin-ojisan…” he drawled, placing his pen down, “You’re coming home a lot later than normal these days…”

The older blonde turns to the younger twin, face still straight-lace and stoic, something that Yuuji was accustomed to, “Work has me by the neck.” he replies shortly.

“Every wednesday’s?” he quips, tilting his head to the side.

“Yes.”

“You aren’t dating anyone?”

Silence erupted between them, the only sound could be heard was the sizzling of the chicken on the pan, “What made you say that?” he asked stiffly and maybe, if Yuuji was ignorant, he wouldn’t have noticed the slight twitch of his brow but he wasn’t.

Yuuji prided himself to be an observant person, someone had said he could pass off to be a detective in the near future, he had the agility and the observation skills (sukuna said otherwise though and said he’d get himself killed if he were to ever enter that field)

“You sometimes have that weird look on your face when you look at your phone.” the boy pointed out, “But Sukuna says you’re just chasing the bag so maybe he’s right, he’s kind of the smarter twin after all.” he mumbles the last part with great disdain.

Nanami lowers the fire on the stove and places his hands on the counter in front of Yuuji, “What if I told you I was sort of seeing someone?” he mused, humoring the young boy. 

“Are you really?” Yuuji’s eyes widened, surprised written all over his features, “What are they like, Nanamin-ojisan? Are they pretty? Do they know about us?”

“Oi what’s the noise about?” Sukuna’s raspy voice cuts through Yuuji’s excited one as he enters the kitchen, hair still wet from the shower and in house clothes with a towel hung on his neck.

“I told you Nanamin-ojisan was seeing someone!” Yuuji yelled, eyes sparkling since he was right this time, he quickly returned his gaze back to the older man, “When do we get to see them? Are they nice? How’d you guys even meet?”

“You’re seeing someone?” Sukuna spat, eyes wide in complete surprise, “How’d you even get someone to stay around with your uptight attitude?”

“Yah!” Yuuji yells, “Nananmin-ojisan is nice with women unlike you, no wonder girls are very scared to approach you!”

“Shut up,” Sukuna grumbles towards his twin then turns towards his godfather, “How the hell did you even meet?”

Nanami just shrugs, telling them they’ll know soon enough as he returns to his cooking. The boys seemed to dislike his answer though and continued to bug him. After cooking dinner and having their fill, he returns to his room and whips out his phone, a text message from you saying, ‘hey, the boys asked me about you earlier. They heard from maki-chan.’

The blonde wonders if he weren’t drunk, would he even consider doing this sort of thing? Dating was really out of the question, he admits he isn’t in the right place to go out with anyone especially with a young person like you. 

He thinks he’s taking advantage of the power-dynamics since he’s older.

He doesn’t even deny how weird it was that you're still hanging around him especially when you had a far richer man as one of your admirers. Satoru may or may not have overhead Yuuji gossiping about you one time and your ‘relation’ with Megumi’s father, it was definitely a small world and judging from the Toji you had mentioned a few days ago, it wasn’t hard to connect the dots that it was actually Toji Zen’in, a member of one of japan’s high business clans.

He shakes his head before pressing the call button, it only takes a few rings until you answered, “Hey kento.” You greeted, “What’s up?”

He hears the sound of a whizzing electric mixer on the other line.

“Boys gave you trouble?”

“No,” he could almost feel the smile on your words, “They were just surprised I liked a man with kids.”

“I reckoned, Yuuji seemed to have caught up too in my side. Been asking why I’m going overtime.” 

Silence settled between you two for a moment and Nanami wonders if you’re scared out of your wits. You might be backing out this deal after testing those waters, “Maybe you should tell me when I could meet them then? We wouldn’t want them to run into us during one of our outings or when we’re fixing up the divorce.” you replied softly.

“Hm,” he mumbled, “I’ll be sure to ask them about that. For a temporary setting, you sure take this matter quite seriously, Y/N.”

“Well, I did say I’d help you out.” 

A small smile reaches his lips as he hears your small and shy voice. It seemed like having people to check up on you by the end of the day wasn’t so bad, after all.

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[iisuya-simps]

Coffee shop au (Doppo x Reader)

A/N: decided to do a little scenario for the birthday boy Doppo! Hope yall enjoy :)

Word count: 1798

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

You were a literature student at university. Every morning you see this man come into the coffee shop around 8 o clock. 'Poor thing, always looks so tired and rundown.'

One morning was particularly busy. You overheard his order from one of his many visits and decided to pay for it. He comes in an hour later frantically looking around, wondering if he should leave the line. One of the employees waves him down and gives him his order. That lady over there paid for your coffee. He looks completely baffled and turns to see you waving. He thanks the barista and walks to your table.

"Hi um, thanks for paying for my coffee miss." He scratches the back of his head nervously. "No problem. My name is Y/N by the way." You extend your hand to shake his. "Oh! I'm Doppo." "It was busy today and I figured you always look so busy." His eyes widened. "You can tell from just that huh?" You nod. "Well, it's true I don't have much time to myself outside of work..."

"What do you do? Oh, I'm a salaryman." "Ah, I see. Must be pretty tiresome work." "It would be alright if my boss didn't give me so much to do." His fists clenched. "Oh, I'm sorry for rambling." "It's alright." "I actually have to get going. I can already feel my work piling up." He shoots you a bemused grin.

"It was nice talking to you." "Would you have time to chat over coffee on the weekend? Seems like you have a lot more to say." "Maybe! Uh, I'll be back tomorrow." "Alright, see you." He waves and scurries out of the cafe. "What an odd guy. I hope he's not overdoing himself too hard..." You continue your writing.

The next day Doppo joins you for coffee. "So Mr. salaryman, how goes life?" You sit down at the same table you were at yesterday. "Oh uh, I'm kind of always on the go." "Do you have any hobbies?" "Well, I do have a few houseplants. I keep a bunch of cute little succulents around my place like a salad bowl, giant velvet rose, it's actually just a small one, and a tiny cactus-" He stops there because he feels the conversation dragging.

"What about friends?" "Hifumi has been my friend since elementary school. Despite everything, I'm glad he's still around." "That's nice to hear." You smile. "Oh! I've been so busy talking about myself I never asked about you." " Well, there's not much to know." "Nonsense, what do you do? I saw you with your laptop yesterday." "I'm a literature student at ___ University." "So you're a writer? That's pretty interesting."

Over the next few months, you became fast friends. Doppo would join you in the morning for coffee and a small chat then dash to work.

(Insert clever transition here)

"Doppooo." You call out to him and wave your hand in front of his face. "Doppo?" He snaps back into reality. "Hmm? What is it y/n?" "Are you alright?" "I'm f-fine. Why do you ask?" You shake your head. "It's ok to have a break every now and then y'know. You've been spacing out all day." "Yeah, sorry y/n. I guess I just have a lot on my mind." "Why don't we do something?"

"Would you like to go out? Hang out I mean! Somewhere else! Anywhere! You can choose!" "Hmm, I think a walk would do us both some good." "Uh yeah s-sure." Doppo sweats a little.

"Hey uh y/n, I'm not a very athletic person as you can probably tell..." "That's alright, It doesn't have to be a long one. Why don't we just walk down to the park at our own pace?" "Oh, o-ok sure."

Leaving the cafe you walk about 15 minutes to the nearest park and sit down on a nearby bench. You turn to face him. "I'm worried about you Doppo. Are you taking care of yourself?" "I'm just hanging on like I always do..." He gives a nervous chuckle. "You didn't answer my question." He hangs his head and sighs. "What's the point?" "The point is your wellbeing Doppo. Here." You pat your lap. "Just take a little rest. "N-no I shouldn't-" "I don't mind." Hesitantly he lays down on the bench and rests his head on your lap, blushing.

It didn't take long for him to immediately fall asleep on your lap. You laugh to yourself. 'He looks so peaceful like this, just like a cute little man child.' You carefully stroke his hair making sure not to wake him up. A small blush forming on your cheeks.

After a while, he awakes and rolls over. His sleepy teal-blue eyes meeting yours.

"Y-y/n!" He sits up abruptly, a bright red blush flooding his cheeks. "I-I'm so sorry! How long was I asleep?" "Not long, you could have napped longer if you wanted to. It looks like you needed the sleep." "Erm, yeah. thank you." His cheeks still burning red. "You can lay back down if you want. You still have a few hours before you have to go to work right?" He considers, thinking how comfortable your thighs were cradling his head. "I-I don't want to be a bother..." "Just lay on my shoulder then. We can both take a nap." "Okay."

Doppo leans on your shoulder and closes his eyes hoping that you didn't notice his quickening heartbeat. Resting your head on his crimson locks you close your eyes and fall asleep into a short slumber together.

t-t-t-transition---------

"What would you like to eat?" "Anything, I'm starving." You giggle. "I was going to make some omurice~" He visibly perks up. "I'd like that very much." "Omurice it is! Topped with some cilantro." You lick your lips. "U-um. No cilantro for me thank you..." he winced trying not to gag.

"Oh no, you have the cilantro hating gene, don't you?" "Yeah, it kinda tastes like soap." You dramatically toss your hand to your forehead. "That's so tragic. I wish your taste buds could appreciate the fresh springy sprigs that are cilantro. But alas! I'll just top it off with chives."

"Y-you can have cilantro! It's not a problem if you want to!" "I don't want to make you sick with the aroma." "I'll be fine as long as I don't eat it! Really!!" "Ok ok. I'll do both." "Do you want some help? Omurice is one of the only things I can make..." his head hangs a little. "Sure! I could always use some help chopping some veggies."

You were coming over to Doppos place every weekend now to make sure he was eating well and getting enough sleep.

After prepping the vegetables and cooking the rice, you dice up some chicken and mix in the vegetables and spices, also adding some ketchup. Then whisking an egg with a little milk you cook the omelette and add the chicken, veggies and rice. Folding the egg over you make a little ketchup smiley face with dimples on the side of his plate and top it off with some chives. Then do the same with yours.

"Here you go!" Doppo's eyes light up when you hand him the plate. "Waaaah, it looks so professional! Let's dig in!" You watch as he smiles while eating, savouring every bite. "Oh y/n this is so good." "Thank yourself, you helped make it too." You smile. "Yes but mine never tastes this good. It must be something you did!" "You'd be surprised what difference a little salt and pepper can make."

You both watched a show while eating, Doppo went back for seconds.

"Thank you for the delicious meal y/n. You've been doing a lot for me, I appreciate it." "Of course! I'll always try and be there for you when you need me." "Would you really?" Doppo's palms get sweaty as he turns to you with his head down. "Would it be so wrong to think that there's something between us? I-I know I'm a pessimist and an overall mess. You basically take care of me like I'm your kid- Oh, who am I kidding you don't want me... I'm a ball of anxiety and-" you put a finger to his lips and he blushes immediately.

"I like you too, Doppo." You smile. "Y-you do?" He sighs visibly relaxing. "I thought I really blew it there... but I'm glad you feel the same." You place your hand over his. "I care about you Doppo."

After a few more shows and an awkward silent stroll, Doppo walks you back over to your place and says goodnight.

"Thanks for everything y/n." Knowing he wouldn't be the one to make the first move (in this case anyway) you lean over and kiss him on the cheek. He looked so cute with his flustered expression and blushed cheeks. "Night Doppo."

When you lay down on your bed for the night your heart races and butterflies dance in your stomach. Then your phone pings from your nightstand.

"I had a really great time today! Not like I don't any other time! But today was special! The texts came flooding in one after the other. You beam and reply "Yes today was fun. Now please get some sleep. You need it." "I'll try!"

Epilogue I guess---------

Even though you move in with Doppo quite quickly it turns out to be the best thing for the both of you. He does his best to look out for you and you look out for him.

In the morning you both wake up, he boils water for coffee and you make breakfast. You'll still visit the coffee shop every now and then, but there's nothing quite like having breakfast in bed with your partner.

You always call him during lunch and inbetween to make sure he doesn't forget to eat. When he comes home he'll help you with meal prep if he's not too exhausted. Then you'll eat dinner in front of the tv and watch a show.

After dinner, you both wash and dry the dishes then sit down on the couch and cuddle. On a good day, you watch a few episodes of your favorite show together. But on an exhausting day, Doppo falls asleep within the first 10 minutes. But you don't mind. You simply flip the station and admire his sweet peaceful face as he lays his head on your shoulder.

If it's late you wake him up with head pats and guide him to bed in a half-asleep stupor joining him soon. When you're in bed he always has one arm around you. Usually, your back to his front or the both of you facing each other in an embrace until you wake and the cycle begins anew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading!

[bonemarroww]

Something Else - Trans!(O) Amajiki Tamaki x (A) F!Reader

Summary : “You’ll get there someday!” Mirio always says. “You’ll do better next time.” Tamaki doesn’t want to get there someday. And if every Alpha always does, well, maybe he’s something else then.

Warnings : Homophobia, Transphobia (not from s/o or anyone that matters to Tamaki)

Feedback is welcome !

(I do not own the picture)

AO3

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

———————— Chapter 4

“So, how are things going with your mate, Chicken Heart?” The bubbly omega asked, sitting with the shy boy at the counter as Mirio was cooking for them in the dorms’ kitchen.  

It had been a few weeks since his accidental confession, and Tamaki still blushed with mixed embarrassment and pleasure every time he heard his friends refer to his mate as, well, his mate . They had agreed to keep things low key for the moment, more for his benefit than hers, before they started any display of public affection.  

When with Mirio and Nejire , though, he did not mind her holding his hand and sitting closer to him than she used to. She did not mind keeping things private for their friends only to know, and had herself only told her best friend, a Beta from her class whom had immediately approved of Tamaki.  

They had not had a lot of opportunities to spend some time in private, not wanting to make his presence in her dorms too regular, and Tamaki not being able to bring her in his room for obvious reasons. They had taken some trips to the city, and found themselves alone one time in the park she liked to frequent –her Alpha was very keen on open spaces where it could feel free from the crowd.  

Even there, she had not overstepped his boundaries, asking him what he was comfortable with, without bristling when he had admitted to it feeling a bit early for more than a quick peck.  

“G-great... She’s p-perfect for me. She s-says I’m the b-best thing that’s happened to her.” He smiled timidly at the memory.  

Nejire cooed, refraining from hugging him –as she knew he didn’t like being suffocated with love so early in the day.  

“Did you two address the, uh... elephant in the room?” Mirio carefully worded.

Tamaki looked down, his smile falling.  

It had been his plan, at first, to confess his love for her and the real nature of his second gender at the same occasion. That way, she would know what she was signing up for, so to speak. He had not either expected her to jump so willingly into their relationship, considering she still knew him as an Alpha and knowing how traditional her family was.  

She had batted away his concerns, stating she would hardly be the first to have an Alpha as a mate (how did he think they had so many Alphas in her family?) and that he was worth any trouble anyone may send their way.  

Still, asking her to scent something for him right after accepting her gift had felt rushed, and he had panicked. Now that things had been settled for a while, he didn’t dare to, afraid she would react badly and think he had manipulated her.  

What if she was only attracted to Alphas? It was unlikely, but it would be just his luck that his assigned gender, that he no longer identified as, drew her to him...  

“N-no... I-it's... Things are g-going so well r-right now... M-maybe I c-can just g-get used to it...” He knew it was a bad idea.  

It would not last; but it seemed so much easier to just keep on like they had been recently. For the first time in his life, he had a mate. Someone who loved him , despite his shy disposition, despite his not being the most articulate or talented with crafts. It just felt like he had a lot to lose now.  

“Tamaki...” The shy boy knew Nejire was serious, for she almost never used his given name anymore. “She won’t love you any less for what you are. Chances are she’ll even care for you more. The last time we’ve seen each other, she was over the moon to be with you. She won’t change her mind because of how you feel.”  

Tamaki hid his face in his arms, his forehead touching the cold surface of the counter. They were right... probably. And he couldn’t keep pretending forever. With his friends he had tasted what it felt like to shed the disguise and be his true self. He didn’t know for how long he’d be able to keep this freedom locked in a closet.  

He startled when Mirio put a steaming plate of rice and fish in front of him.  

“Come on, you’ll need all the strength you can gather if you want to do this.”  

The elf boy let out an incomprehensible mumble, but in the way he lifted his head with resignation to look at the food, Mirio could tell their point had come across.  

.

.

Tamaki took a deep breath. This was as good time as any. Though his mate had been everything nice and patient with him on their date, the knowledge of having carried the plaid she made him for a few hours now was slowly eating at him. He could feel his Alpha growing upset at his lack of answers to her queries, and his general anxiety-induced lack of affection.  

He had managed to lead them to this park they had been to a couple of times, which would be a right place to do this. Though there were still some families out enjoying their afternoon, the place was big enough for them to find a secluded place to sit down, where no one would bother them.  

“I-I had something t-to t-tell you...” He fiddled with his fingers nervously.  

His bag, containing the soft object he had pried from his nest this very morning, was just beside him. He could feel his Alpha increasingly worried at his behavior; but when he tried to look up, the sight of the ridiculous scarf at her neck sent him back to a blushing mess.  

As ugly and embarrassing as he thought it was, it had quickly become her favorite piece of clothing. She kept wearing it even though it was now spring and the air had become warmer and less humid. Every time Tamaki tried to explain how awkward it felt to have her wearing such an ugly, half-finished thing; or when someone commented on the distinct difference between the shapeless mess he had made and the obvious part she had finished; she would insist that it made her happy and proud to wear something they had crafted together. It was romantic , in her eyes.  

“I’m listening.” Her voice was low, slightly tensed, but he knew she would not interrupt him.  

Tamaki took one last deep breath, remembering all of his friends’ reassurance, before closing his eyes and letting go of it all.  

“You’ve t-told me m-many times you’re n-not ashamed of having an A... an Alpha as a mate, but I-I’m actually an Omega and- I understand if- if I’m not... what you’re looking for, but... I thought you should know?”  

It sounded more like a question than an affirmation, but the words were out. For the next few moments, it felt like Tamaki had traded a weight on his shoulders against another; the pression of not having told her replaced by that of not knowing how she would answer.  

A thousand bad case scenarios went through his head in the split seconds before the Alpha’s shoulders relaxed, and she let out a sigh of relief. Before he could understand, strong arms pulled him closer to her, and she nuzzled his neck as if seeking the comfort of his scent.  

“You stupid, stupid Omega...” Her shoulders shook in a bewildered chuckle. “I thought you were breaking up with me.”  

His heart skipped a beat at hearing her refer to him as an Omega for the first time. He almost didn’t register the ‘stupid’ part, high on a second-long relief, before the rest of her words sank in and he panicked.  

“W-what? No! I d-don’t want that...”  

His arms closed around her form, hugging her back with tears of his own, and at his words, he felt her purr slightly. The pleasant sensation, along with her scent so close to him, easily calmed his raging emotions.  

“Me neither.” She affirmed in an unwavering, loud voice proper to Alphas.  

When they separated sometime later, her eyes were dry; and so were his. Tamaki felt odd, in that he knew that now would be the moment to ask her to scent the plaid she made him, while all the while feeling like she had something to say.  

He did not anticipate her words as much as he had her reaction, now that she had made her attachment to him –and her desire to remain his mate– clear.  

“I thought I loved all of you.” She started, smiling slightly, her gaze lost looking at some children running, a bit further down the road. “But now I realize I just don’t know everything about you yet. I can’t wait to discover more and love you whole.” Her eyes found his, her smile growing into a grin.  

This made a blushing mess of Tamaki, as he mumbled that he wasn’t that loveable, and that surely, she would find a ton of things she wouldn’t like about him, because he wasn’t perfect like her. Only when he looked up and saw her gaze grow fond did he realize he was rambling and abruptly stopped halfway through –ironically enough– reminding her how much of a pessimist he could be.  

If there had been any wall nearby, he would have gladly walked up to it and banged his head against it.  

“Tamaki...” His Alpha laughed and nuzzled his cheek. “That’s just one of the many things I love about you. Now, do you have anything you’d like for me to scent?”  

She anticipated his ask, and a blushing Tamaki timidly opened his backpack to give her the plaid. She purred at its sight, carrying it to her nose as she obviously smelled how much he had cuddled and worn it in the past few weeks.  

Tamaki blushed happily.  

.

.

Having his mate knowing him as an Omega really changed the deal. For starters, Tamaki was able to bring her into his dorm room, where they would hang out sometimes –not too often, for Tamaki feared the comments of his classmates. There, they would watch movies together, him comfortably in his nest timidly cuddling the scented plaid and plush; her sat on his bed. Afterwards, when he would sleep in his sheets that smelled like her, Tamaki would dream of being in her arms.

When they weren’t in her dorm room or his, and the weather wasn’t favorable to a walk, they often found themselves in Tamaki’s home. He had shyly introduced her to his mother after a few months of their relationship, when they had tried to sneak into his house while his parents were supposed to be absent. To this day, the embarrassment was still acute, though his mother had invited the Alpha to dine with them so that she could meet Tamaki’s father.  

Despite starting out so awkwardly, the encounter had gone better than the shy boy would have thought. His parents had seen how much the girl cared for him, and seeing their boy so happy with himself and his mate had brought a few tears to their eyes. By the time the Alpha had officially promised she would take a good care of their son, the adults had approved without any second thoughts.  

Tamaki had been understandably very anxious to meet his mate’s family. First, because of how traditional her family was, and second, for the sheer number of people he would have to meet. The Alpha’s family lived in a big estate in the countryside with her parents and grandparents, and she had several siblings. It was very far from his situation as a suburban only child.  

Still, his mate had handled the problem elegantly enough, explaining to her family that her companion currently couldn’t travel out of the city because of his Pro Hero internship. She had then casually invited her parents only to join them so that they could meet him.  

Tamaki had been introduced as her Omega , and though he had seen their looks of surprise as they had discreetly sniffed the air around him, they had smiled at him with genuine warmth. Never had they asked any inappropriate question or made comments that were uncalled for, instead asking him about his studies, his internship, how they had met. Discussion, though stilted by his shyness and anxiety, had been rather pleasant.  

They would have time on other occasions to meet the rest of her family. When they had gotten back to the dorms after leaving her parents, she had rewarded him with a long evening of praise and cuddles –though nothing inappropriate, Tamaki still blushed shyly when he thought about it.  

Every day, when they managed to make time for one another, Tamaki was a bit more grateful for that one time she had come to comfort him, somehow seeing past his scent and into who he really was.  

She had given him the support and courage to out himself to his friends, and after a few months, to the rest of the school. Not that he went out of his way to tell people; but when a curious eye asked about his relationship, or when a first year asked about his alignment on the spectrum out of confusion or curiosity... He allowed his Alpha or Mirio to answer the truth while he faced the nearest wall.  

Only a couple of times had this brought him trouble; usually from disbelieving people who stopped at his scent.  

“Alphas shouldn’t date other Alphas.” A snotty second year Alpha from general studies looked down on them one time, his friend snickering in the background. “It’s against nature.”  

Tamaki felt like shrinking on himself as he meekly protested, though not daring to correct them on his identity. People who invoked nature as their argument rarely looked on people like him with a favorable eye.  

His mate, on the other hand, bristled at the insult.  

“Leave my Omega alone.” She growled, her Alpha’s protectiveness going through the roof. “Or say that again to my face and see how pretty yours will be.”  

To the younger students’ credit, the obvious threat didn’t seem to faze them. Tamaki tightened his hold on her hand, anchoring himself to her. By now, it wasn’t from fear or to prevent himself from going to find the nearest wall; but he wasn’t sure his mate wouldn’t jump on the students to rip their heads off if they didn’t stop soon.  

“Omega?” The second one puffed. “He’s an Alpha, darling. It’s all over his scent.”  

“He’s manipulating you. You deserve better.” The first spat.  

Holding hands or not; it was too late for them. Tamaki winced when he felt her hand rip out of his and fly to the guy’s throat. The other moved back in fear as he saw the girl hit his friend’s face once with her fist closed –which would leave a dark bruise– and then raking her sharp nails on the tender skin –leaving angry red marks that wouldn’t fade before days.  

“He smells like an Alpha because he eats jerks like you for breakfast.” She growled, and Tamaki might have thought her scary if his Omega wasn’t swooning at the sight before him.  

With one last flashing of her canines, she moved back to take Tamaki’s shaking hand in hers. She had never seemed more attractive as she did then, angrily staring down the two younger students, her menacing air undermined by the ridiculous scarf around her neck.  

“Now move out of the way.”  

The two general studies boys quickly got back to their feet and ran away from them. Only when their scent disappeared from the corridor, and Tamaki timidly went to scent his mate in a quick embrace, did she completely relax.  

“I’m sorry for the scene.” She sighed, scenting him back as much for his comfort as for her own. “I shouldn’t pick fights with idiots.”  

Tamaki mumbled the words before he could properly think.  

“I-it’s okay... you were...”  

The Alpha cocked her head in confusion.  

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite hear you. Did you say something?”  

The boy bit his tongue, blaming her on how little control he had over the words that came out of his mouth when he was in her presence.  

“I-I said... you were pretty h-… h-… Y-you...” Tamaki closed his eyes in embarrassment at how his nervousness made him stutter.  

A warm hand on his arm and a light kiss on his cheek made his mind go blank.  

“It’s okay, take your time.” His mate lightly purred, hoping to help him relax.  

“Y-you were pretty hot!” He blurted out, too loud in his own opinion.  

The shy boy quickly hid his face in her neck, taking comfort in her scent and the purr that doubled against his chest after his admission. When he dared look up again, his Alpha’s cheeks were ever so slightly darkened, her eyes wide and a surprised smile on her lips.  

“Good.” She smirked, rewarding his candor by a firm kiss on his lips.

[splendidlyimperfect]

critical hit - chapter 3 [they're taking the hobbits to isengard]

When Sting tells Natsu that one of his friends from school is going to be joining their weekly Dungeons & Dragons game, Natsu isn’t impressed - their table is already full. But while Natsu and Gray’s in-game characters clash completely, Natsu finds that real-life Gray might not be that bad after all.

Chapter Summary: D&D night gets unexpectedly cancelled, but Natsu wants to hang out with Gray anyway.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Pairings: Natsu/Gray, Sting/Rogue

Tags: Modern AU, Dungeons & Dragons, Role-Playing Games, Awkward Flirting, ADHD Natsu, Geek Gray

*i know i haven’t updated this in two whole years (my bad) but i finally got inspiration so thanks for your patience and enjoy <3*

*link to ao3 in the comments cause tumblr keeps fucking up my posts*

-----

“I’m stoked for this fight tonight!” Natsu grinned at Gray, who was curled up in the passenger seat of Natsu’s car, looking out the window at the slowly setting sun. “We’re gonna kick this thing’s ass.”

“I dunno about that,” Gray replied, fiddling with his necklace. Natsu couldn’t quite make out what the pendant was. “We’re all nearly dead and out of magic. We might be fucked.”

“Pfff,” Natsu scoffed, pulling out of the Starbucks parking lot and heading towards home. “Maybe with that attitude. Don’t worry, we’ll pull a win out of this. We always do! Did I tell you about the time we dropped a house on a dragon?”

Gray shook his head and Natsu launched into the story, complete with wild hand gestures and sound effects. He could feel Gray’s gaze on him as he listened intently, even when the retelling took several unexpected detours. It made something warm grow in Natsu’s chest. Most people in his life were used to his rambling, chalking it up to his ADHD and excitable nature. They usually tuned him out after a while, though, or nodded along while drifting off to something else.

Gray listened, though. He’d shifted in his seat to face Natsu, knee tucked under his leg, coffee held between both hands, and Natsu could feel the deliberate way he followed Natsu’s words. It made Natsu feel important.

He’d just wrapped up another story where they had accidentally created a super-intelligent zombie when both of their phones pinged.

“It’s Sting,” Gray said. “So sorry guys, I can’t make it tonight, work called me in last minute. Can we reschedule for next week?”

Natsu felt a flood of disappointment wash through him as he glanced over at Gray, whose brow was furrowed as he stared at his phone. He was so cute – he had gotten his eyebrow pierced at some point during the week, and it made him even more adorable.

“Well,” Natsu said, chewing on his lip. “That sucks.”

An awkward silence filled the car. Natsu really didn’t want to drive Gray home – he’d been waiting all week to see him, and when Natsu had picked him up, the shy smile Gray had given him had made Natsu feel breathless.

“Well, I don’t—did you wanna, uh…” Gray trailed off, tugging at a loose thread from the hole in his jeans. “I mean I don’t have any, uh, plans? Obviously, since we had—I mean, so maybe we, um, we could…”

“They put all the Lord of the Rings movies on Netflix,” Natsu said quickly, before he could chicken out. For once he was glad for the lack of filter between his brain and his mouth. “Wanna get takeout and watch one of them?”

Before the anxiety could set in, Gray glanced up and gave him a soft smile. “Yeah,” he said. “I’d like that.”

~

Gray’s favorite food turned out to be sushi.

“You’ve never had sashimi before?” he asked once they’d gotten back to Natsu’s place and unpacked the takeout onto the living room table.

“Is that the rice?” Natsu asked as he settled down cross-legged on the floor. “Or the fish?”

“The fish,” Gray said, pointing at the slices of raw salmon. “It’s good, I promise.”

Natsu gave him a dubious look, then frowned at the chopsticks that Gray handed him. “You’re gonna think I’m totally uncultured,” he said as he peeled off the wrapper, “but I’ve never used chopsticks.”  

“It’s not hard,” Gray reassured him. Natsu fumbled with the wooden sticks, glaring at them as he tried to get them to move. “Here,” Gray said, moving closer to Natsu and reaching out for his hands. “Like this.”

Natsu’s breath caught in his throat when Gray’s fingers touched his, settling the chopsticks between them and showing him where his thumb should go. Gray’s hands were cold, and each small touch made Natsu’s heart jump. His cheeks flushed hot when he dropped the chopsticks again, and this time it had nothing to do with clumsiness.

“I, uh, might have to stick to forks,” Natsu said with a nervous laugh. Gray was close enough to him that he could smell his shampoo – something light and fruity that made Natsu want to lean in and run his fingers through Gray’s hair. It looked so soft.

As if reading Natsu’s thoughts, Gray pushed his hair out of his eyes and tucked it behind his ear. Natsu’s eyes followed the movement, and when Gray’s gaze met his, he quickly looked back down at the food, hoping the heat in his cheeks wasn’t visible.

“That’s okay,” Gray said, and it took Natsu a second to realize that he was talking about the chopsticks and not the staring. “You can eat the rolls with your fingers.” He pointed at the second container. “Those ones don’t have fish in them. Just yams.”

“I’ll try the fish,” Natsu said before he could stop himself. He was glad Sting wasn’t here to tell Gray that Natsu had sworn off seafood ten years ago after going fishing with their grandfather and crying when he’d had to gut the salmon they’d caught.

It ended up being better than he’d expected, despite the strange texture.

“I haven’t had sushi in a while,” Gray admitted once they were done the meal. “I ate it every day in Japan.”

“You lived in Japan?” Natsu asked as he stuffed the styrofoam containers back into the plastic bags.

Gray nodded. “Yeah, I was there for an exchange program for a year. I’m from Montréal originally, though.” The soft way he said the word let Natsu finally place the soft accent he’d noticed every once in a while. Of course Gray was bilingual. Was there anything about him that wasn’t perfect?

“That’s awesome,” Natsu said. “When did you move here?”

“Six months ago, for school.” Gray crossed his legs, tucking his feet underneath him as he shifted on the couch cushion. “It’s really different here.”

“I can imagine,” Natsu said. “Have you made it down to Gastown yet? Rogue likes sushi and he says there’s lots of good places down there.”

“Oh, no, I haven’t.” Gray smiled as Natsu’s cat Happy hopped up onto the couch and rubbed himself against Gray’s legs. “I, um… I haven’t really been out too much. By myself.” He ran his finger behind Happy’s ears, who purred happily. “I’m a little—I get kind of anxious. Sometimes. To go alone.”

“I could take you,” Natsu offered before he could stop himself. “There’s so many places here you’d love – Granville Island’s amazing, they’ve got markets and this awesome café, and you’d probably like the art gallery there too. And if you haven’t been to the beach – well, beaches, there’s so many of them, and if you go to Stanley Park you can walk or take a bike, and there’s a…” He trailed off at the overwhelmed expression on Gray’s face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“I’d like that,” Gray said, keeping his eyes fixed on Happy as a small smile crept across his face. “To go, I mean. With you.”

“Oh.” Natsu couldn’t hold in a grin. “Cool. It’s a date, then.”

Gray finally looked up at him and Natsu’s cheeks flushed when he realized what he’d said. Before Gray could reply, Natsu grabbed the remote from the table and thrust it into Gray’s hands.

“You can, uh, pick one. Of the movies,” he said as he pushed himself to his feet. “On Netflix. I’m gonna make popcorn.”

Natsu darted into the kitchen and exhaled, rubbing his face. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket.

holy pain in the ass: you’d better be on a date, loser

Natsu groaned – of course Sting had done this on purpose, the asshole.

pyro-manic: you’re a jackass and a liar

holy pain in the ass: i think you mean ‘you’re welcome’

Natsu glared at the screen for a minute, trying to come up with something witty but eventually just shoving his phone back in his pocket.

When he headed back into the living room with the popcorn, Gray was still petting Happy, who had curled up in his lap and was purring contentedly. He’d taken off his hoodie and had rolled the sleeves of his World of Warcraft shirt up just enough that Natsu could see the never tell me the odds tattoo that wound around his wrist.

Natsu tried not to stare. Everything about Gray made him feel like he was thirteen with his first crush all over again. He’d dated other people before, obviously, but none of them were quite like Gray. There was something about him – a shy but carefree enthusiasm for the things he loved that drew Natsu in. It didn’t matter what kind of pop culture references Natsu made, Gray picked up on all of them. He could finish the movie quotes Natsu had memorized, knew all the best cards in Magic, had seen every anime that Natsu loved, and didn’t even tease him about his taste in music.

Natsu’s phone buzzed in his pocket again, drawing him out of his thoughts, and he ignored what he was sure was another text from Sting.

“I hope you don’t mind the subtitles,” Natsu said to Gray, gesturing at the screen as he sat down next to – but not quite touching – Gray. “I always have them on. It’s like, a thing, with my ADHD – auditory processing something? It just makes it hard to catch everything sometimes, the subtitles help.”

Gray nodded, scratching behind Happy’s ears. “It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “I usually have them on, too. It helped me when I was learning English.”

“Awesome.” Natsu took the remote and hit ‘play,’ then settled back against the couch as ‘Fellowship of the Ring’ started to play.

Natsu was glad he’d seen the movie at least ten times, because the only thing he could focus on was Gray. He couldn’t stop thinking about Sting’s text, about the word date, about the fact that he hadn’t felt like this about anyone in years. Natsu’s life was full of people – he was outgoing by nature – but none of them made him feel like Gray did.

They finished the popcorn quickly and Natsu leaned forward to set the bowl on the coffee table. When he settled back into the couch, he was certain Gray leaned into him a little. He held his breath, shifting as if to get comfortable, and ended up right next to Gray with their shoulders pressed together. It sent a thrill through Natsu and he tried his best to ignore the part of him that insisted he was not a teenager anymore and it was silly to get worked up over this. He tried to focus on the movie instead.

“You have my sword,” Aragon said on screen.

“And you have my bow.”

“And my axe.”

“And my vuvuzela,” Gray murmured absently.  

Natsu burst out laughing, immediately struck by the ridiculous video he hadn’t seen since in years. “Oh my god,” he said, nudging Gray’s shoulder with his as Gray’s cheeks turned pink. “You’re such a dork.” Before Gray could take offense, he added, “In a good way. I know exactly what you’re talking about and now I’m gonna have that song stuck in my head for the rest of the night.”

Gray laughed. “I just can’t take that scene seriously anymore,” he admitted. “My sister and I used to watch all of these movies on Christmas and quote along to it… it got pretty silly. And took forever ‘cause we’d watch all the extended editions in one sitting.” He played with his necklace as he talked, keeping his eyes on the screen.

Natsu was about to ask why they didn’t do it anymore but stopped himself when he remembered what Sting had mentioned when he’d first invited Gray to join D&D. Gray’s sister had died unexpectedly just before he’d moved here, and Gray didn’t like talking about it.

“We can watch them all if you want,” Natsu offered instead. Gray’s expression shifted and Natsu wasn’t quite sure what it meant – he was hard to read even when they weren’t talking about personal things. But then the corner of his lip curled up in a tiny smile and he nodded.

“If you can sit still that long,” he teased.

Natsu laughed. “Yeah, I might end up upside-down or something at some point. But that’s okay.”

Gray’s smile got a little wider. “I’d like that,” he said softly.

“Okay,” Natsu said. He tried his best to keep a huge grin from creeping across his face. “Cool. Yeah. Me too.” 

~

Natsu managed to sit fairly still until about halfway through ‘The Two Towers.’ They’d had plenty of breaks – including one where they’d pulled up ‘They’re Taking the Hobbits to Isengard’ on Gray’s phone and sang along until they were both laughing hysterically – but it was getting difficult to not fidget. He was about to ask if they could take another quick break when Gray shifted and the back of his hand brushed Natsu’s.

Natsu immediately froze, all restless thoughts banished from his head as he focused on the sensation of Gray’s knuckles against his. They’d been moving closer and further apart all evening, bumping shoulders and knees, but this didn’t feel like an accidental touch. Something about it was deliberate, and this time Gray wasn’t moving away.

Heat sparked in Natsu’s stomach and he stared down at their hands, hoping to hell that he wasn’t misreading Gray’s intentions as he returned the touch. He heard Gray’s soft intake of breath, and several nearly unbearable seconds passed before Gray shifted closer and slid their fingers together. He was warm against Natsu’s side, and when he carefully tipped his head onto Natsu’s shoulder, Natsu was certain that Gray could hear the frantic slamming of his heart.

He exhaled as quietly as he could as he ran his thumb down the side of Gray’s hand, enjoying the soft noise that Gray made in response. His hair tickled Natsu’s cheek, soft and fine, and when Natsu rested his cheek against the top of Gray’s head, Gray hummed happily and cuddled closer.

The uncertainty that had been following Natsu around all night immediately vanished as he let himself relax against Gray, squeezing his hand gently as they pressed against each other. It felt so right. Natsu hadn’t realized how long it had been since he’d cuddled anyone until they were both comfortable and breathing in tandem. He felt more relaxed than he had in years.

The movie kept playing but Natsu barely paid attention. His brain, always in overdrive, immediately started to whether or not he should kiss Gray, if that was moving too fast, if he should maybe put his arm around Gray or whether or not that would be a cheesy high school romcom move. Gray solved the issue a few minutes later by stretching and nudging Natsu’s arm up, then curling up against him.

“I can hear you thinking,” Gray said quietly as the battle for Helm’s Deep raged on in the background. “Or panicking. I can’t tell.”

“I’m not panicking.” Natsu wasn’t sure if he was lying or not.

“Okay.” Gray rested his head against Natsu’s collarbone. “Good.”

The movie came to an end not long after that, but Gray didn’t move. He ran his fingers up Natsu’s arm instead, touching the scar that Natsu had gotten after a motorcycle mishap years ago. Gray traced patterns between Natsu’s freckles, then ran his hand back down and touched Natsu’s palm.

“Are we—”

“Is this—”

They both laughed as they talked at the same time, and Gray shifted until he was looking up at Natsu and they were nearly cheek-to-cheek. Warmth sparked in Natsu’s stomach and he leaned in, nudging Gray’s nose with his own. There was a moment of anticipation where neither of them moved, and then Gray closed the distance and pressed their lips together.

The heat in Natsu’s chest spread as Gray kissed him, rushing across his cheeks and down to his fingertips. He made a soft sound, tipping his head and pulling Gray closer until they were facing each other. Slowly, he reached out and brushed Gray’s hair out of his face, running his fingers through the silky strands. It was just as soft as it looked.

When Gray finally pulled back, his cheeks were flushed pink and he didn’t quite meet Natsu’s eyes.

“I, um…” He bit his lip uncertainly.

“I really like you,” Natsu said quickly before he could change his mind. “Like. A lot.”

“Oh.” A small smile worked its way across Gray’s face. “Good. I like you too. Also a lot.”

Natsu laughed, leaning back in and kissing Gray’s nose. “Sting did this on purpose,” he said, gesturing to his phone that was sitting on the coffee table. “He’s an idiot, but I’m kinda glad he did.”

“Me too.”

Natsu ran his fingers through Gray’s hair again, then pulled him in for another kiss. It was soft and sweet, but Natsu’s stomach still sparked with excitement at the touch. Gray was warm everywhere they pressed together, and Natsu never wanted to let go.

Gray pressed one more kiss to Natsu’s lips, then his cheek, then pressed their foreheads together. “I haven’t dated anyone in a long time,” he admitted, cheeks flushed pink. “I just… can we take it slow?”

“Of course,” Natsu said quickly. He kissed the tip of Gray’s nose. “I’m just happy to—I like spending time with you. And kissing. That’s good—great—too. Really great.”

Gray laughed, squeezing Natsu’s hand and kissing him again. Then he looked back at the TV screen where Netflix was suggesting ‘Return of the King’ as their next film.

“You wanna keep watching?” Natsu asked. “I promised you a marathon.” He looked at the clock, which already read 2:47 a.m.

“Yes? But I know you have to work tomorrow.”

“It’s okay,” Natsu reassured him, grinning. “I actually took tomorrow off because today was supposed to be our last D&D session and I thought it might take all night. Plus, I’m not tired.” He kissed Gray’s cheek again. “Maybe just a little distracted.”

“Just a little?” Gray ran his fingers through Natsu’s hair and surprised him by tugging on it gently.

“Maybe a lot,” Natsu admitted. He ran his hand down Gray’s side, then pulled him closer until he was almost in Natsu’s lap. “But I’m okay with it.”

~

They both fell asleep on the couch before ‘Return of the King’ was over. When they woke up the next morning in each other���s arms, Gray blushed furiously, but eagerly returned Natsu’s morning kisses.

“I guess I’d better get you home,” Natsu said as he ran his fingers through the tangles in Gray’s hair. “You’ve got class soon, hey?”

Gray nodded. “I’d rather stay here,” he admitted.

“Look, I’m happy to kiss you all day, but I’m also not gonna be the reason you fail your classes.”

Gray raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ll have you know that I have a 4.0 GPA.”

“Guess I’m dating a genius then, huh?” Natsu paused. “Are we? Dating? I mean, is that what you wanna—”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Natsu grinned, kissing Gray’s nose, then nudged him off the couch. “C’mon,” he said as he sat up and stretched. “Let’s get you some coffee and get you home.”

Natsu’s pantry was nearly empty, so they stopped for coffee and bagels and ate quietly on the drive back to Gray’s place, holding hands across the console. When they pulled into the dorm parking lot, Natsu let go regretfully and leaned over for a kiss.

“See you on Sunday?” he asked, then shook his head. “No, that’s too long. How about Tuesday? I can take you to Gastown and show you around.”

Gray’s face lit up and he nodded. “Yeah,” he said, smiling shyly at Natsu and squeezing his fingers. “I’d like that.”

“Perfect.” Natsu kissed him again, tasting coffee on his lips. “It’s a date.”    

[tirednotflirting]

on a summer evening (baby, you’re the end of june)

please enjoy more soft lashton that i wrote for stress relief after another week of job applications

special thanks to @another-lonely-heart for giving this a read last night and saying such kind things about it and also @calumcest bc she yelled at me enough the other day to convince me to start actually posting my writing lol. 

The early summer, golden hour sky is dark with swirling gray clouds and a windy rainstorm when Ashton realizes he’s in love.

There hadn’t been any rain in the forecast for the day. It was four days past the solstice so it should have been miserable out, but LA decided to give its faithful citizens a little treat in the form of a light breeze so sitting outside with a cool drink and a guitar was quite pleasurable. Which is exactly why when he received a text from Luke asking if he could play through some of the melodies he had been playing around with the past couple of weeks, Ashton replied to tell him that the front door would be open and to grab himself a drink before coming to the back deck.

Ashton locks his phone and turns when he hears the sliding door open and attempts to control the blush he feels rise to his cheeks when he watches Luke step toward the chair beside him in a white linen shirt that floats against his chest, one hand holding the neck of his guitar and a beer in the other. His hair is back in a tiny bun and his sunglasses threaten to fall off the end of his nose. He's a vision of a nice summer day, like the one they’re having right now, Ashton thinks to himself.

They spend the next couple of hours working through some of what Luke had come up with that he plays for Ashton from piecing together bits from voice notes on his phone. Luke giggles at the older boy whenever he stumbles over some of the more technical patterns, still not a native to the strings like Luke. (And okay, yes, maybe he was faking some of that a little bit. But it made Luke laugh in the way that his nose would scrunch up far too adorably so there was really no harm to it, he thinks.) The stuff he’s been working on is really good, Ashton repeatedly tells him. He can see all of them ending up in their future singles.

They've just started working on one of the last voice notes that Luke has when a raindrop splashes off of the body of the guitar Ashton was holding from when he had run down to his studio about halfway through the list. A matching pout appears against the lips of both boys as they gather up everything they had brought out as the raindrops pick up, their clothes dampening as they hurry through the glass door.

It’s within the next couple of minutes that the storm neither of them had noticed previously really rolls in and picks up. It's still relatively early, only about 4.30, but as Ashton stands just inside the sliding door looking up at the sky, he knows this is going to go on for a while. His weather app confirms the thought and Luke groans when he looks at the screen Ashton is holding out toward him. “Guess I should head home then?”

Ashton turns from his spot just inside the kitchen where he’s just plugged in his phone to the charger at the island. They’ve had a really good afternoon and for some reason he really really does not want it to end. “I mean,” he starts, a hand running through the hair at the back of his neck, the ends now wet from their escape out of the storm. “I wouldn’t mind the company. Unless you’ve gotta get back to Petunia?”

Luke shakes his head quickly, a small smile appearing as the curls that have escaped his bun fly around like a little halo. “I dropped her at Cal’s place on my way here for a playdate with Duke, I'm sure he wouldn’t mind her being there awhile longer.”

Ashton tries then to control the deepening of his dimples as he nods at the response. “Well, we should change then and maybe we can break for a bit and make an early dinner?”

Luke agrees to the plan and follows Ashton down the hall to his bedroom. Ashton hunts around for a pair of sweats and a long sleeve with the band’s logo from the previous tour, the current weather allowing him to ignore the calendar for the time being in terms of wearing something cozy. He turns to face Luke and gestures towards the closet as if to say “have at it” and changes on the opposite side of the room, leaving Luke to do the same inside the walk-in.

They all practically grew up living out of suitcases in shared hotel rooms, so naturally, all four of them have pieces that belong to the others in their closets. Knowing that any of his pants would run just a little bit too short on Luke, Ashton assumes Luke would go digging through the drawers for a pair of his own that are inevitably tucked away somewhere. He figures he’ll do the same with his t-shirts. So it comes as a surprise (though not one he’s even the slightest bit upset about) when Luke steps out from the closet with one of Ashton's bigger hoodies covering his upper half. The sleeves hang a bit long on Luke, his fingers able to wrap around the cuff to make sweater paws.

(Ashton silently prays that the lack of light in the room due to the storm blocking much natural light from entering will obscure the blush he knows is boldly sitting on his cheeks at the sight of the cozy boy.)

“Is it cool if I borrow this? Kinda chilly,” Luke asks.

“Yeah, no, of course,” Ashton nods back, knowing he answered the question far too quickly.

Luke grins his thanks. “Let's make something, I'm starving.”

Ashton soon realizes that when Luke asked if they could make something, what he really meant was if Ashton could make them something. Not that he minds at all, knowing that growing up as they did made learning skills around the kitchen a little difficult on the blonde. He needs to go to the store soon so he pulls out what odds and ends he can find - some chicken, some rice, random vegetables still in his produce drawer. Ashton sets to work cleaning and chopping up the vegetables after figuring out the spice situation for the chicken.

Luke watches him work silently from where he’s hopped up onto the counter, telling Ashton stories from his week. He talks about Petunia, talks about the call he had with his parents and brothers. They discuss plans for the Fourth of July (ignoring their lack of American citizenship in favor of lighting sparklers and eating loads of good food in Michael's backyard). It’s a nice, lazy (incredibly domestic, Ashton thinks) activity, catching up on the week while Ashton makes them a meal. He wonders if the simplicity of it all has Luke feeling as warm as he does.

Luke decides he wants a mug of hot chocolate and pulls the powder and milk from their respective spots, despite Ashton's complaints that it was too much sugar before a meal. Luke is stirring the powder into the microwave-warmed mug of milk when his phone starts playing a tone letting him know he’s getting a call. He drops the spoon in the sink before reaching into his hoodie pocket and swiping his thumb across the screen. He smiles as he brings the phone to his ear. “Hey Cal, my girl behaving?”

He picks up the mug and walks out from the kitchen, standing at the sliding door that leads to the backyard, a bright smile lighting up his eyes despite the lack of sunshine from beyond the glass, obviously laughing at something Calum has just told him. Ashton reduces the heat on the pan he’s just tossed the sautéed vegetables into with the chicken, knowing the rice needs a few more minutes. He turns then to lean against the counter and look at the boy standing in his living room as he wipes his hands on a dish towel.

And it's then that he feels it. Watching Luke giggle softly through his response to whatever he’s speaking with Calum about, his mug held close to his face to warm his cheeks, Ashton feels something. He’s watching Luke comfortably move through his home, wearing Ashton’s clothes, talking to their friend as he sips from his designated favorite mug while Ashton makes him dinner. It's a scene that has a mob of butterflies flying through his stomach straight up to his heart and taking over his thoughts because Ashton suddenly finds himself knowing he would give up anything to watch this exact moment play out everyday for the rest of his life if he could. Watching this person he cares so so deeply for be warm and safe and happy and with him. Ashton had always thought he had been in love before but now as he watches Luke's eyes squeeze shut as he laughs against the rim of the mug, the porch light illuminating his face with a soft yellow glow, he knows this is new to him and it’s love.

He's given about three seconds to process all of that before Luke turns to him. He's still smiling but his eyes give Ashton a confused look, as if asking if he’s okay. Ashton's lips turn up and he waves his hand as if to tell him to dismiss his concern. Luke lifts his mug to acknowledge the response as he lacks a free hand and turns away as he wanders to the couch, phone still pressed to his ear.

Ashton turns back to the stove, attempting to force himself to focus on plating the food he’s made rather than the thoughts swirling and racing through his mind about the man on his sofa. He’d come to terms with this crush a long time ago, not permitting himself to ever think about it for too long for this exact reason. He’s internally blaming the long spring of being cooped up inside his house with his thoughts when he feels a presence behind him. He moves to turn to face Luke, to try to make some joke about why he’s bugging Ashton while he cooks, when a gentle hand is placed against his left hip to hold him in place while Luke holds out his phone in front of Ashton's face.

“Look at Duke and Petunia,” he coos. “They’re cuddling.”

And the picture is incredibly cute, the two dogs cozied up together on the floor in front of Calum’s couch. Ashton tells Luke this in a tone that the drummer realizes probably sounds just a little too strained to be talking about dogs napping together. The tone must have been recognized by Luke as a puzzled look falls on his face as he squeezes the hip his hand rests at and bumps his head against Ashton’s temple. “You all good?”

Ashton reaches up, rubbing at Luke’s messy curls teasingly. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just hungry.” He steps out of Luke’s hold then as he turns and hands him a plate, gesturing over to the bar where they can eat (his dining room table being covered with papers since the band’s tour meetings earlier in the week) and asks Luke to grab him a water while he finishes making his own plate.

They eat relatively quickly, neither of them realizing until they sit down that they never bothered to eat lunch before working on music earlier. Luke volunteers to clean up while Ashton flips through Netflix for something to watch while they wait for the storm to pass, the radar predicting the heavier part should be past the city within the next few hours. 

Behind him, Ashton hears the dishwasher close and start a cleaning cycle as he clicks play on some indie movie that’s been sitting in his queue for awhile. He takes a seat close to one of the arms of the couch as he watches the opening credits roll. Luke flicks off the kitchen light, leaving the room dark aside from a lamp near the hall that leads to the foyer and the glow of the TV. He takes a seat beside Ashton on the couch, his head immediately falling to rest against the shoulder of the other boy. 

Ashton tenses for just a moment at the pressure against his shoulder and the smell of Luke’s conditioner hitting his nose before he relaxes some. He sits up just a bit so Luke isn’t having to bend over to a weird angle to allow the position. Luke hums his thanks and pulls the sleeves of the hoodie back over his palms. 

They watch the characters on screen go about their lives in pretty normal situations that indie movies tend to be fond of romanticizing. Ashton still feels warm with all of his feelings and butterflies flapping around in his body when he feels a hand reach over, fingers slipping into the spots between his own, a slightly smaller palm pressing against his. He turns his head just slightly but makes no move to change the position, only moving their clasped hands to rest against his lap as Luke’s thumb rubs gently against his first knuckle.

“Days with you are nice,” Luke says softly, so much so that Ashton barely hears him over the dialogue happening between the characters on the screen. “And slow.”

Ashton lets out a laugh, one he hopes doesn’t sound as nervous as he feels. “Slow?” 

“They feel slower, but like,” he stops the motion of his thumb for a minute and Ashton lets his head tilt some to rest against Luke’s curls. “But a good kind of slow? Like the universe is allowing more time to fit into the hours somehow.”

Ashton’s heart is soaring at his words. It practically leaves him at a loss for them himself. “Nice of the universe to let us have that, I guess.”

“I feel pretty lucky, yeah.”

That’s all he says then, his focus returning back to the screen. Ashton isn’t quite sure what the short exchange just then meant but he can tell that it meant something and for now he decides that’s good enough. He wants to be big and bold but it’s obvious that Luke likes slow things. And Ashton really likes Luke. So he can do his best to do slow, for him.

He lifts his head then and shifts some to allow his hand to stay pressed against Luke’s but moves to rest his head against the fluffy arm of the sofa on his left. It’s still pretty early but Ashton suddenly feels so sleepy. He’s silently debating with himself about whether or not the exhaustion is due to his racing mind or the cluster of butterflies still flying between his head and his heart when he lets his eyes drift shut.

(It’s about twenty minutes later that Luke carefully slides a pillow under Ashton’s head and drapes a blanket over him, knowing he’s prone to getting cold during the night. He quietly moves about to slip his boots back on and leave his empty mug in the sink. He considers going back to the bedroom to change into one of the shirts he knows actually belongs to him in Ashton’s closet before heading out. But then he catches a whiff of the other boy’s sunshiney, bright cologne on the collar and thinks about the look in Ashton’s eye when he saw Luke walk out of the closet in it earlier and decides he can’t bear to part with it tonight - the hoodie of course, not the way he felt from that look. Definitely not the look.)

*

[oztrekk]

Quarantine in Australia: Staying in the hotel

Hi again, everyone! My name is Radka and I’m in my second year at the University of Melbourne Dental School. I was fortunate enough to receive a travel exemption to travel back to Australia in order to complete my degree (you can read more about my experience flying back to Australia during COVID here!).

Once I found out that I had to complete a 14-day mandatory quarantine, I began scouring the internet for anything to help me prepare for my upcoming mission. Unfortunately, the material I found on the web was scarce and often depicted a rather negative experience.

Now, if it is of any consolation to you, I would like to let you know that quarantine is in fact not as bad as you may read about it being and I actually had a very pleasant experience. If you are going to be quarantining or if you are just a little curious then please keep reading!

My Hotel Room After arriving in Sydney, I was taken to the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel. My room was just your regular clean hotel room, complete with a queen bed, a desk, a sofa, a clean bathroom, and a fantastic view (I got really lucky with the view!). There was also a kettle to use for your coffee, tea, or soups, and a mini fridge to store extra food or water. There was also a hotel laundry service; however, that came with a fee of $35.

Tip: Pack lots of extra comfy clothes so you don’t have to worry about doing laundry. Or, if you would like to hand wash your clothes, consider packing a small amount of laundry detergent.

The hotel staff also brought by fresh towels and extra toiletries halfway through quarantine, so don’t fret because you in fact do not need to ration your toilet paper or clean towels! Of course, regular guest hotel services were available 24/7 with just a quick phone call to reception, so don’t be afraid to request whatever you may need. I ran out of toothpaste on day 3 of my stay and when I requested some from the guest services, they delivered a few tubes to my door.

The Food Before you check into your hotel room, the hotel staff will give you a form as ask you to identify any dietary restrictions, preferences, or allergies.

Breakfast was scheduled to arrive between 7  and 9 a.m., but it consistently arrived around 7:30 a.m. at my room.

Tip: Set an alarm to get out of bed to collect your breakfast around 7 a.m. so you don’t miss it!

Breakfast usually consisted of a bag of cereal (cornflakes, Kellogg’s All-Bran, Sultana Bran), a carton of milk, yogurt, and a cold fruit juice. Sometimes we would also have bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon or some banana bread. All very delicious and very filling versions of breakfast!

Lunch would arrive around noon. This was by far my favourite meal of the day during quarantine. Lunch usually consisted of a colourful salad with some sort of protein (smoked salmon, chicken, beef), bread with butter, and a fruit. Since the breakfasts were very filling, I was never hungry for lunch… but I ate anyway. The odd time we had warm lunches, such as pad Thai, rice and chicken, or a delicious meat pie with mashed green peas.

Dinners were delicious as well, but not quite as good as the lunches, in my opinion. I had lamb with potatoes and baked carrots, steak with veggies and mashed potatoes, chicken parmigiana, and lots of different meals with fish and pasta! Dinner was served anywhere from 7  to 9 p.m., but most of my dinners arrived consistently around 7 p.m. Our dinners always included bread and butter, some sort of fruit, dessert, and a big, cold bottle of water.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy most of the desserts. Sometimes we were given lemon tarts and apple tarts and those were my absolute favourite! Other times we were given small cakes and I did not enjoy those as much.

Tip: Bring lots of pre-packaged snacks because you might get bored or you might not like the snacks delivered with meals.

On my very last day of quarantine, the staff delivered a generous slice of red velvet cake to congratulate me on completing my 14-day quarantine. I thought that this was a very kind gesture and was a great way to end off my quarantine! (Unfortunately, my friends quarantining over at the Four Seasons did not get a farewell cake.)

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how healthy and nutritious the meals were; however, I recommend packing some vitamin D supplements because the one thing your body will be deficient in during quarantine is sunlight access!

When I was craving something different, there were plenty of food delivery services available. My go-to is always Uber Eats, and thankfully my favourite treat (“Poke Bowls” from Poked) was near the hotel, so I ordered them a few times. I also gave the in-room dining menu a try and ordered a pizza. The hotel’s in-room dining prices have been reduced 30% for the quarantining guests to enjoy, so hopefully your hotel will offer you some sweet discounts as well!

The Drinks I was worried about how much water I would be provided, but thankfully I received plenty of water. I was given one bottle of cold water with every dinner. However, I recommend keeping the water bottles and refilling them with water and storing them in your fridge (this way you will always have cold, refreshing water available).

The hotel room was equipped with a kettle, a mini fridge, and the drawers were stalked up with lots of instant coffee and tea. The instant coffee did get a little boring after a few days, but thankfully a flat white was just one phone call away to Guest Services. It was $5 for a small coffee from the hotel but as soon as you order it they bring it up to your room with the receipt 🙂

If alcohol is something you would fancy, (Quarantininis, anyone?) the in-room dining menu served alcohol until 9 p.m. There were also alcohol delivery options available through third-party restaurants.

Staying busy This is very important because I am sure we can all agree that 14 days is a looong time! Thankfully, time flew by because I made sure to bring all my favourite hobbies with me. I love knitting so I made sure to pack lots of yarn for my quarantine. I also really enjoy sketching and so I would sketch on my iPad. I am a sucker for Australian reality TV too, so I binged watched the latest Married At First Sight (PS: lots of drama) and other fun shows on the 9now website.

Tip: Pack an HDMI cable to watch your favourite things on the hotel TV. You can only watch so many shows on Netflix sideways in bed!

I also spent half my day talking to loved ones back home on FaceTime and having daily workout sessions with my friend group back in Canada! Speaking of exercising, try to move around as much as possible. It’s so easy to spend the whole day sitting down, but I set alarms on my phone to remind me to get moving in any way possible.

Tip: When you are on the phone with your family and friends or listening to podcasts, try pacing up and down the room rather than sitting in a chair.

And don’t worry if you don’t have any hobbies or you cannot physically bring your hobbies with you during quarantine. You can use this time to learn something new!

COVID-19 Testing The hotel nurses will knock on your door on Day 3 and Day 10 to conduct mandatory COVID tests. At the end of my stay a doctor and an officer knocked on my door to provide me with a certificate that stated that I had tested negative for COVID-19. You will need to keep these documents with you because the hotel staff will ask to see them on the day of your check-out. The doctor also provided me with a bracelet that said “COVID19 NSW SATURDAY.” I assumed this was so hotel and airport staff would know that I had completed my quarantine.

The nurses will also call you daily to check up on your physical health and your mental health status. The nurses are very friendly and want to help you, so don’t hesitate to talk to them and tell them how you’re feeling. If you become sick or require medical help at any point during your quarantine stay, there are doctors and nurses available 24/7 to provide you with medical assistance.

Final Thoughts Overall, my quarantine experience was pleasant (believe it or not). I love to relax and I really value my “me time,” so I approached quarantine as an opportunity to enjoy lots of relaxation.

With all that being said, I encourage you to sit back, relax, and try your best to enjoy your two weeks with a cleared schedule, no alarms, no appointments, and no daily obligations. Embrace your time off my friends and really, really try to make the most of it! Your quarantine experience may be a story you will be telling for the rest of your life, so why not make it a pleasant one to tell your great grandchildren!

Take care everyone and thanks for your time! 🙂

Sincerely, Radka

[p---leia]

Ancient Writer of dreams and nightmares: I am 71 (-one month), and have been writing (making up tales) since I was three. I can still remember my Pawpaw whittling a pencil for me, and Mawmaw tearing a piece of brown grocery bag for me to write on. They weren't 'poor', but writing paper wasn't to be wasted on a 'kid' just for fun. I carefully scripted my first short story.

Of course my 'letters' looked more like ancient Hanguel, so I had to read it to my "captured" audience. I really don't remember the story, but as my grandparents had a yard full of chickens and my dog, Mutt, liked to chase them (because of this we 'both' got into trouble -- because I always joined the chase) I most probably wrote about that.

My Pawpaw was a story-teller. For several years I thought there really was a baby found in the wilds of the African jungle and raised by the great apes. I thought he was the luckiest babe, EVER!

Then I found Pawpaw's books about three years after he died. I was eleven when he died, and felt that my best friend had abandoned me. But when I found those books I realized just where Tarzan actually came from and went to. I read everyone of those books and got the complete picture. THEN..

Well, Pawpaw also told stories of Daniel Boone and Davey Crocket...before I saw them on Disney. Then, of course, I went to school and learned what I already knew. Pawpaw was an excellent story-teller and never mixed up his facts, time-lines, or characters.

Growing up under his influence had a lot to do with how I developed as a story-teller. At family gatherings when I meet cousins I haven't seen in decades, they STILL remember me and the stories that I used to tell them. My children and grandchildren have grown up with me re-telling Pawpaw's old stories, and sharing many that I made up on the spot.

But I think what I read in my early years developed my writing style.

I was just turned eight when I read my first Shakespeare, MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. He was my first favorite author. Then I was forced to read Romeo and Juliet. I was disgusted by the fact that TRAGEDY was made famous as a ROMANCE! Even at the innocent (then) age of fourteen, I was disgusted with the idea that it was considered romantic for 'anyone', let alone 'teenagers' to commit suicide over unrequited love.

My sister (now 68) and I recently discussed this play. Because she had a 'forbidden' teenage love, she said that she related to the story (even though she had never read it). GASP! It was required reading in ninth grade!

I remember our dad breaking up my sister and her boyfriend, who was really cool. He was a hard working farm boy who had saved his money to buy a motorcycle. AND his own car. But he wasn't good enough for my sister. smh

I always thought her story would make a great LifeTime movie. But I'm not touching it. She would 'skin me' for sharing with the world her broken heart. And if I added the stuff that sells today, she'd scalp me for lying. Not a win situation at all. So, I will write notes in my "Random Jottings Journal" for future decendants who might grow into writers or story-tellers.

By the way, the title "RANDOM JOTTINGS" came from a sci-fi book that I read as a kid in the fifties. I don't remember the author, although I'm pretty sure it 'might' be from a Heinlein juvenile book. But I've never found a reference to any sci-fi books using that term. SO!!! If anyone recognizes "RANDOM JOTTINGS", which was a note book that a professor/scientist/genius used to keep his 'thoughts', PLEASE share the author's name and the title of the book!!! Thank You.

In the meantime, I referenced Shakespeare. James Oliver Curwood wrote about Kazan, the Wolf Dog, and later Baree, Son of Kazan. From those two books, read when I was eleven, I searched for and found other books about Canada. Later there was Walter Farley, author of the Black Stallion, and the Island Stallion series. I think I met my FIRST friendly alien in the Island Stallion Races.

Of course, Edgar Rice Burroughs taught me much false history about the jungles of Africa, as well as the Moon and Mars. But I loved every 'read-under-the-covers-with a-flashlight' minute! I believe he was a contemporary of Zane Grey, because he wrote a few non-jungle and non-space stories, too. Which led me to Zane Grey.

Having read both of their biographies at a young age, I learned about the hardships of being a writer. I should say 'the hardships of a struggling writer'. I have never had a problem writing. Since I write for 'fun' and not 'profit', the few short stories I've had published were by local press, and a State magazine.

No, my struggles have centered around graduating high school, and completing college, stuggling to satisfy my husband, a 'Mr. Spock in the Flesh' personality, and later raising two children without benefit of parental support or child support. But we survived in the middle of laughter and many tears. And my made up stories about children lost in the woods who were rescued by a great friendly bear, or wolf. Or dog. And sometimes by a great Black Panther - a by product of one of my Pawpaw's 'local historical tales'.

I understand that publishers detest stories that begin with "It was a dark and stormy night.." But let me tell you, some of the BEST bedtime stories occur on stormy nights when the power has gone out, and it's too hot for candles or lanterns. That shadow that stands darkest in the corner and seems to be moving towards the bed is actually grandma come to check on the kids, and stands quiet so not to disturb the kids if they're already asleep. But since they are awake, and they see her 'shadow', she becomes the old crone who lives in the castle dungeon, and has slipped her chains to visit with the 'wee folk'. But there are no fairies out on such a blustery night, so the old crone comes to visit with the 'wee bairn', who fall all over themselves to get out of bed and sit around her to hear her stories of 'long ago' and other 'dark and stormy nights'. Again -- unpublished, because publishers don't like ... LOL

Of course there's always On-Line publishing. But that involves more work than actual writing.

Back to the writrs who influenced my writing:

While I enjoy a good Western, an adventurous space trek, or time travel, I also enjoy the occasional Historical Romance. Georgette Heyer was my first! I still re-read her amazing books. Of course there's Jane Austen.

There are a myriad of modern writers that I have read over the last five decades. Heinlen, Asimov, Norton, Bradley, McCaffrey, Moon, Stirling, Krentz/Castle/Quick, and Moening, just to name a few of the ones whose books I have in my personal library.

Those older authors did affect my writing style to develope as I read their stories. The later authors helped me to move into the late 20th century. But I'm not so sure that I like the 21st century so much. It's all about being politically 'correct'. If you aren't ashamed of your gender, your race, your country, your religion, your culture, your family, your history, then you are prejudiced. That's just too much guilt to have to live with.

I'm still dealing with my mom's death from ten years ago. I was her care-giver for five years. Her doctor had given her nine months. I still worry if I did enough for her in those last years.

And though my children are grown with their own families, I worry that I wasn't a good enough parent. And I worthy as a grandmother? How was I as an older sister? I was responsible as a moral guide when our parents were at work. Was I a good neighbor? A good support in our Church? And Hollywood wants me to feel guilt about something I can't change?!!

I'm an old woman who still likes being a woman and enjoys liking men. I'm not just white. I'm also mixed with a bit of Native American, and even a drop of -- OMG!!! --- Black. snicker.

That's a serious joke, because as a kid I had a recuring nightmare that I was a black man being judged by a group of people in white hoods I was hanged amidst their fiery torches. I always thought those white hoods represented the Catholic Church, because at that young age I didn't know about the Ku Klux Klan. Even though I grew up in the South, my family was not involved with that group of out-lawrey. Thank God!

Still, I'm supposed to feel shame? For something not even my family supported.

I've always believed there's a hint of Fae in my DNA. Because I love dancing in the light of the full moon, and flying with the owls who perch outside my bedroom window and call to invite me to follow the moon's shadow. If I am part Fae, I know it came from my mother's people. They were Irish mixed with Alabama Indians who believed in the Nunnehi aka Immortal, and the Yunwi Tsunsdi, aka Little People.

ALSO, while there's no DNA proof of ancestry, I've always been a 'closet Chinese'.

In the Fifties, when WW2 was still fresh, and we were involved with the 'Korean Conflict', and at odds with China, I would sneak around the radio, turn down the volume, and tune into 'that wierd channel' that sometimes played Opera, or Chinese music. Ahhh. I would close my eyes and wander through the few visuals I'd found in books, or the occasional movie. (before color tv)

A year or two ago I was totally depressed and disgusted with American TV. Hollywood has become so political, so wierd. Their programming is no longer for entertainment, but to 'educate, enlighten, or to inform'. zzzzz

Then I found KDrama!!!!! Korean TV. Japanese Tv. squeal!!! Chinese TV.

The rom/coms are sweet and 'pure'. Okay. I'm realistic. This is not a reflection of real life on any planet. But the innocence of the early 1950s programs is there. Similar to Disney's 'Summer Magic'. I'm happy with those dramas that remind me of thati nnocence. I have found a few dramas that shared more than I cared for, and I do enjoy an occasional 'romp'. But I've always preferred the Lady and Gentleman characters.

And watching these programs have reminded me of those fairy tales and legends from my childhood that had been sprinkled with the Occasional Oriental myth, legend, and children's tale.

Then I remembered my FIRST historical legend. "The White Stag" by Kate Seredy, is the tale of Atilla the Hun!

I recently found a copy of that book and am waiting for a quiet time, when the power is out and there's nothing to do. Then I will use one of the many flashlights I bought for a huge hurricane, and relax on the sofa beneath an open window and read this legend once again. I live in Florida. The odds of this happening increases as the summer progresses. I can't wait to learn if my memory of this tale of Atilla the Hun remained true, or has been distorted in the last half of a century.

Most of the tales that I write involve space adventures, the occasioanl ghost, and encounters with fairies, the evil ones, not the romantic ideal fairy. smh

I've never been very good with romance or comedy. But thanks to the recent influence of the Asian productions, I have re-formatted one of my dark adventures and turned it into a rom/com.

I love a good joke, but very seldom get the point or see the humor. And I can NEVER remember the punch line if I try to share a joke. My family have said they will write on my tombstone --

"I don't remember the punchline ... but it was funny."

But as I write humorous lines or events I find myself laughing. Or crying at sad events. And I am all 'giggly' when I write what is supposed to be innocent romance between a young and shy couple. But I have never felt that my own reactions were a true guide to how the story might come across to a 'reader'.

As it happens, I have two sisters younger than I am. My middle sister is bored easily and immediately redirects our conversation to something about 'her'. Okay. I understand. She is lonely, needy, and maybe a bit selfish? Not judging. She's the 'middle child' and that's her excuse. ROFL..

But the youngest sister is my greatest fan who declares that I am an awesome writer. "I love you, sister, dear."

So she visited me last week and patiently listened as I read the first chapter. She listened quietly, and I wondered if I had 'read her to sleep'. sigh. Boring books are often the best sleeping pill. Then I heard her laugh.

Squeals/Dancing/hooting/flying around the room in ecstasy!!

Okay! At least one person has laughed. And she's not that easily 'tickled'.

So, I will always carry on and write. But now I feel that at least I might be following a path strewn with "Black-Eyed-Susans, honeybees, butterflies, and bunnies".

I don't know if anyone will read this, or will enjoy it. I hope so. While sharing bits of my youth, my worries, and my concern about certain ones of my 'stories', I actually had ideas for developing 'new' stories.

I am always amazed when writers say they are 'blocked'. I have only to open my eyes to see a world around me that no one else can envision. I listen to a song, and I'm in a different world, time, planet. A gift from Pawpaw, and Mother's DNA.

It is my oldest granddaughter's birthday this month, and I don't know what to give her for her birthday. But when she was younger, she always asked me to tell her a story. I think that I will pull out one of my OLD/ANCIENT tales that I wrote when her dad was her age and make it into a book for her.

p---leia aka Mamma KayeLee

7/19/2020

[artemisegeria]

Love by Design (Chapter 9/11)

Title: Love by Design (Chapter 9/11)

Rating: T

Word count: 3188

Warnings: None for this chapter.  

Summary: Vision makes elaborate foam art as a barista at the coffee shop that his brother owns. One day a new customer comes in, and he completely loses his cool. As she keeps coming back, they grow closer. A casual acquaintance becomes something much more.

Chapter Summary: Wanda and the others comfort Vision after the sudden upheaval in his life. They also come up with a plan to fix an injustice. Meanwhile, Vision ponders where he will go next.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16272371

Chapter 1  | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 

A/N: Well, it’s been another multi-month gap between updates. Sorry, but life and writer’s block do sadly get in the way of fanfiction. It has been a real struggle. But I can say that I have officially planned out this fic all the way to the end, and I will finish it, so I can move on to other things with a clear conscience. This is the third to last chapter.

Part of this chapter and the next was inspired by a comment on Chapter 8 from FrozenHearts, who suggested “I hope Wanda's fellow teachers rise up and barge in and help get Vision's stuff back.” It was not in the original plan, but I liked the idea so much that I rearranged a few things. So thank you for that.

And thank you to everyone who continues to read this despite my inconsistency. I hope you enjoy.

After a leisurely morning hanging around the apartment together, Wanda waited for Vision to return from his mission to find out what happened to the coffee shop, busying herself by straightening up her apartment and cooking. The others had all agreed to come over. Natasha was bringing over some drinks. Steve and Bucky were bringing some chips and lending clothes to Vision, as they were the closest to his size. Mantis and Nebula were bringing some games.

He finally knocked on her door about four p.m. She would have to get him a key if he was going to be staying with her. His unusually hunched posture suggested that things did not go well. He carried a small box, and nothing else.

She took the box from him and set it carefully in the corner. “Do you still feel up to having people over tonight?” He didn’t look quite as lost as the previous night, but he was avoiding her eyes.

“Yes, I believe the distraction would be helpful.” His tone was hollow.

She guided him to the couch. “What happened?”

He sighed and finally looked at her fully. “I knocked on the door. A stranger answered. When I explained who I was, he shrugged and said I collect a few personal items. He followed me the whole time I was in the apartment. I tried to determine what was going on. All they said was that Ultron had sold them the business to pay off some of his debts. He would not let me take my computer or any of my books. Though, he did offer to sell them back to me. I simply left.”

“I’m sorry, Vizh.” Wanda deliberately kept her words soft and slow. She had half a mind to go down and talk to the new owners herself. She could set them straight. But it wasn’t truly her place, and Vision needed her more at the moment.

“It’s alright. I don’t want to dwell on that right now. What can I do to help prepare for our friends?” She allowed him to change the subject, though she continued watching him with some concern as they laid out cups, plates, and silverware.

They only had a few moments to themselves to sit quietly before Bucky and Steve were the first to arrive.

***

Later that night, the party was in full swing, everyone putting on a good face to cheer Vision up. Tony even brought a karaoke machine. Vision and Wanda headed off any attempts at matchmaking by volunteering to go first, with a non-romantic rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing.”

Wanda resisted the urge to stay by Vision’s side all night. She simply wasn’t ready to tell the others yet. Though she was a bit surprised that no one had yet questioned Vision’s sleeping arrangements.

She was in the middle of pondering what else she could do to help Vision when a grinning Scott approached her. “Hey, Wanda, a few of us were thinking that we may have a way to right the wrong that’s happened to Vizh. You in?” 

“Of course. What does this involve?”

“Oh, just a little heist.” Scott smiled even more widely. Wanda was vaguely aware that he had a juvenile record from his Robin Hood activities, but she had never seen him in full planning mode. “Nat and I already looked into these buyers. Their security system is ridiculously lax. Bucky, Steve, and Tony agreed to do a stakeout to see when the building is empty. Then, we go right in, get Vision’s stuff, and walk right out again.”

Wanda could see one glaring problem with this plan. “I’m not saying no, but what about after? I don’t want them thinking Vision was involved.”

“Oh, that’s already taken care of, too. Nat dug a little deeper. She prepared a file of all their financial indiscretions. They’ll keep quiet about it.”

“You two are thorough. Let’s do it.” They shook hands on the deal as Nat walked in with some glasses. Scott gave her a thumbs up.

The plan confirmed, Wanda returned to the main room. She squeezed in between Vision and Nebula. He almost put his arm around her naturally, but he stopped himself at the last moment and turned the motion into placing his arm behind his head.

They stayed up laughing and playing around until weak dawn light started to pour in through the curtains.

*** 

Despite his exhaustion after two nights of virtually no sleep, Vision managed to apply himself to the next task at hand. Wanda left the apartment to run some errands and attend a practice session in preparation for her concert, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He and Wanda had not had a proper opportunity to talk about how his staying with her would work. He felt that their relationship was still too new assume that he could stay indefinitely. 

He did not even know what their lasting sleeping arrangements would be. They had not broached the topic due to the chaos of the last two days. While both of them had grown more used to physical closeness over the last month of their new relationship status, sharing a bed seemed a major leap. 

It was some hours later before he realized how much time had passed. When he looked at his watch, he determined that it was time to start dinner so it would be ready when Wanda returned. He put together a salad, an entrée of chicken, broccoli, and rice, and brownies for dessert. They had hardly had time to eat a proper meal over the last two days either.

He was just arranging the candles and place settings when Wanda rushed in, beautifully flushed from the heat outside. “Wow! You really went all out. You didn’t have to do all this.” 

He leaned down to kiss her cheek. “I know, but I wanted to thank you.” Noting the protest forming on Wanda’s lips, Vision continued, “I know that I do not have to, but I want to.” 

“Okay.” She admired the table, and Vision felt a surge of pride. She looked far too impressed by his efforts, but he was gratified by her reaction regardless. “And thank you.” 

Dinner was a quiet affair. Wanda spoke a little about her practice, but was curiously close-lipped about the errands she had completed beforehand. She insisted on helping him to clean up. They fell into a brief soap bubble war before moving to the couch for the evening. 

Eventually, Wanda sat up more fully and looked at Vision directly. “You’re welcome to share my bed tonight.” She smiled, but her gaze turned serious. “The couch is too small for you. I know we haven’t really talked about it, but it only makes sense.” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t presume-.”

Wanda said at the same moment, “I know.” Vision immediately paused and gestured her on. She smiled, certain that was coming. “That’s why I’m offering.” She put a hand on his arm. “Only if you want,” she added.

“I would like to.” The thought of lying beside her and waking up with her was indeed very pleasant. Still, Vision considered that she might yet change her mind. He did not know the proper boundaries or the words to make himself understood. “If you’re sure.” He hoped that those three words might convey half of his uncertainty. 

“I’m sure.” Her response held all the warmth of her smile and the touch of her hand. His own smile widened to mirror it. “We’ve cuddled together before. There’s no reason this would be any different.” 

“I see your point.” 

“Okay. Just let me get ready, and then you can.” She jumped up, and he immediately mourned her loss, even though her absence would be momentary.

It was only a few minutes before Wanda emerged and beckoned him to her door. Vision retrieved his pajamas from his small box of belongings. He changed quickly, unnerved by the sensation of being naked in a new space. He focused on Wanda’s décor, which carried a charming imprint of her like the rest of her apartment. Knick knacks were scattered around. It was not his preferred style, but it suited Wanda. And he would never have her change any part of herself for him. 

Once his nighttime ablutions were complete, he took a breath and opened the door to let Wanda in. As they climbed into bed, Vision wondered how they were supposed to arrange their limbs. Wanda was apparently thinking along the same lines because she rolled to face him. “Sorry, this is a little weird.” The single bedside lamp cast odd shadows on her face.

He nodded in understanding. It was strange. He had not shared a bed with anyone since he was a small boy. He feared taking up too much of Wanda’s space. There was only so much he could compress himself. “I agree. Do you want me to move to the couch?” 

“No, I just don’t want to kick you or something. I flail around a lot in my sleep sometimes.”

It was comforting to know that Wanda felt her own uncertainty at times, but he reached out to reassure her as she did him. He laid a hand gently on her arm. “I do not fear a bit of jostling.” 

“Okay.” They both turned over onto their backs, not touching. “Good night.”

“Sweet dreams.” It was odd sharing a bed. Vision wasn’t used to being so close. The warmth coming from Wanda was pleasant, but he was not quite sure where to place his limbs. He did not want to bump into her or crowd her either. Vision noted that Wanda was also unnaturally still. It took some time for him to give into sleep after those musings. 

Still, when he woke in the morning, he supposed that he had been worrying over nothing. During the night, their bodies had resolved the dilemma for them. Wanda had ended up in the middle of the bed, her breath softly feathering the side of his neck. One of his arms had landed across her middle. Judging by the smile on her serene face, her sleeping self did not mind.

After dinner on the second quiet night they settled on the couch, and Wanda presented him with a small box. Vision held his breath, for a moment convinced that she was proposing to him. But when he opened it, he was relieved to see a simple key. It was not that the idea of marriage was repellant, but it was surely to soon for that.

Vision forced himself to respond calmly as Wanda looked at him expectantly. “Am I to assume that this is a key to your apartment?”

“Yeah, since you’re staying here, I want you to feel comfortable coming and going whenever you want.”

“Thank you.” stroked through her hair, and she sighed. “Wanda, there is something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Okay…” she muttered into his shirt.

“Much as I have loved staying with you, I would like to find my own place.”

Wanda raised her head to look at him properly. “You don’t have to, you know, if you’re saying that for my sake.”

“I’m not. I have never had a space that is truly my own. Besides, we have only been dating for a month.”

“That’s a good point. You should get the chance to experience that. I still remember when I moved away from Pietro for the first time. I was a wreck for the first few weeks, calling him every night sobbing, but once I got used to it, it was wonderful.”

Once they were lying in bed together, Wanda added, “Keep the key, though. Use it as you see fit.” Vision accepted her suggestion with a soft kiss.

The next morning Vision called Marian’s number, hoping that she hadn’t found a tenant yet. “Hello?”

“Hello, Marian? This is Vision; we met at the river clean-up back in May.”

“Yes, dear, I remember you. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if you were still searching for a tenant for your condo.”

“Why, yes, I am. I was beginning to think no one would ever take me up on the offer. Do you have a name for me?”

“Actually, I would be the prospective tenant. I have found myself rather suddenly in need of accommodations.”

“Nothing would make me happier, Vision. My schedule is open all this week and next if you have any time to come see the old place and discuss terms.”

“Yes, today would be wonderful, if I may.” They set a meeting time, and Vision felt as if a tremendous weight was lifted from his shoulders. Before leaving, he wrote a note for Wanda, informing her that he was going to inquire about an apartment.

Marian was as gracious as Vision expected. They caught up on the past months of news and current events over cups of coffee. Then, she gave him a tour, pointing proudly to the pictures of her children and grandchildren. When they sat down again after that, Marian proposed a scandalously low rent. Vision had to negotiate to get her up to a reasonable level given his research on the local rental market and projected future home prices. She did get her way on the point of insisting that she leave her furniture, claiming that she had no need for it at her new place and it would only be left on the curb if he refused.

Vision agreed, and they shook hands on their deal. Marian let him know that he could move in as soon as he was ready. Vision thanked her and waved on his way to his car, feeling like he had finally made progress toward a new, Ultron-free life.

***

A few weeks later, Wanda was working on preparing some lesson plans when Scott and Sam entered the breakroom. She was grateful for the summer emptiness of the school. It allowed her to think properly, as well as plan illegal activities with her colleagues. “I think we’re ready.”

“Oh, good! Vizh was able to move into his new place the other day, but he still spends most of the time at mine. He says it feels too empty there.” He was spending every other spare moment working to reconstruct his presentation for his conference. She hoped to be remove that burden from him.

Sam grinned at her and alarm bells sounded in her head. “Good excuse to seal the deal.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no deal, and I’m not trying to seal anything.” 

“Sure, whatever you say, Wanda.” Sam spoke good naturedly, but his eyes glinted. Wanda felt that the only possible response to this that would not dig herself a deeper hole was silence. 

She was rescued when Tony and the rest trouped in. Among them all, they hammered out the final details. Scott assured them he had transportation. Natasha finalized the security details. The others provided material support and muscle, and Wanda had the knowledge of what items were most important to retrieve for Vision.

After their meeting was over, Wanda sat back and relaxed for a few minutes before going home. She reflected that such trust and cooperation would not have been possible six months earlier. She never would have expected to even receive an offer of help, nonetheless relying on these people to carry it out.

Wanda smiled softly to herself as she gathered her things and walked home. 

***

A few days later, Wanda ran her hands over Vision’s neck and shoulders while she kissed him. He settled his hands on her waist. They continued in a similar fashion for some time. “Your apartment is a much more congenial location for kissing than mine.”

She found herself chuckling. “I’m glad you think so.” She leaned in to kiss him again. “I’m trying to soften you up before I ask you a favor.”

The level of concern in his frown as he pulled away warmed her. “You don’t have to kiss me to encourage me to do you a favor. What do you need?”

She kissed his cheek. “I’m teasing, Vizh.” 

“Oh.” He looked away from her, his face reddening in embarrassment.

She drew his face back to hers with her fingers on his chin. She tried to smile reassuringly at him, and he returned the gesture. “I was just hoping that I could have a key to your place, since you have one to mine. It only seems fair.”

“Of course. You are welcome any time.” They did not waste any more time that evening talking. Vision had not had much time for anything besides preparing his presentation in the last few weeks. This respite was just what he needed to carry on. 

***

Wanda waited in the school parking lot under the cover of darkness. Eventually, a van that she didn’t recognize pulled up. She pointedly ignored it until the passenger window rolled down and Scott stuck his head out. “Hey, Wanda. Come on, we’re all here.” 

She squeezed herself into the middle row with Natasha, Steve, and Bucky. Scott introduced her to the others in the front and back as old friends from his delinquent days. The driver, Luis, drove out from the parking lot, around the corner, and down the street from the coffee shop.

Wanda was never so grateful to live in a small, sleepy town. It was barely past ten o’clock, and the streets were dark and silent. The four friends stepped out of the van and walked to the alley behind the shop. She held her breath slightly when Bucky started picking the luck, but the task was accomplished soon enough. No alarms sounded, so apparently Natasha, Scott, and his team did their job.

Wanda led the way up the back stairs. The apartment above at least looked undisturbed. They quickly started unfolding the boxes they had brought. She found Vision’s laptop and computer bag first, handling it with care. Then, she went for his books. The others gathered his clothes and other personal effects.

She was just admiring their handiwork and checking for any other missed items when she caught sight of the bottle with the model ship sitting on the mantel. Wanda bit her lip. Given recent events, she wasn’t at all sure that Vizh would want the reminder of his brother. But she figured that was his choice. She removed it and nestled it among some clothes in one of the boxes.

They were finally ready to back out the way they had come. They were able to carry all the boxes in one trip. Stacking them in the back of the van, Luis drove away as if he had not just aided and abetted a felony. They dropped Wanda off at her apartment on the way to wherever the van was kept.

She waved at them from the front door of her building. As soon as she reached her own apartment, she changed into pajamas and collapsed into bed. She couldn’t wait to surprise Vision with this.

[all-good-things-dot-dot-dot]

All Good Things… I’m A Weirdo, And That’s Okay. (Part One, Possibly…)

3rd June 2020

Hello Chaps and Chapettes.

I am what is known affectionately and sometimes ridiculed, as a furry. To those who don’t know what that is, it means that I am part of a community that roleplays online, and often offline, as an animal. This can come in many forms, from your average animals that walk on two legs, to more commonly known furries who walk around on two legs with forms not too dissimilar from what you see in Disney films like Robin Hood and more recently, Zootopia. 

(Photo: Walt Disney Studios)

Some people, including a few I know and call friends, dress up as their fursona - that means, the persona they take on when they are being a furry. Most that I know personally, like myself, keep it to a past-time that they spend online. They’ll chat normally about a vast range of things, from what is going on in the real world, films, music, life, ETC. However, they’ll do this behind a pseudonym, the name or character they go by in the community, and everyone (who has the desire to roleplay with them) will refer to them by that character’s name and species. 

Here’s my example - I’ve been known in certain communities as Dusk, a black panther. I have had numerous backstories for my character, but lately, I stick with a basic ‘he’s a panther and is from England,’ and riff on whatever else anyone wants to know about him. This is probably because I have grown as close to Dusk as I have to my own life, to the point where there’s no difference between him and me, apart from he has a pretty sweet tail and is a hell of a lot cuter. 

This is one example I can give of how weird a person I really am. Some, even the friend or relatives of mine that others would consider weird enough, don’t know this story about me unless they’re reading it now. If they are - hello! Love you lots, thanks for reading this confession, please don’t send me to the funny farm. I’d prefer a funny zoo…

So, why? Why do I have this segment of my life that is important to me? Why, now I’m an adult, have I not stopped enjoying logging onto a chatroom and having people call me Dusk, or lately Scaramouche? And why have I invented these personas for myself? 

I’ll start with those first two questions and answer them together, if I may. This isn’t something that started overnight. When I first began to join online communities at around fifteen or sixteen, it was to help aid two things. The first was my writing. I’d heard that people would create text-based roleplays which was essentially like writing an ongoing story where you tell the story from a personal character. I thought this would help improve my book writing abilities immensely. 

(Photo: Underworld (2003) Lakeshore Entertainment )

The second reason was that a girl I really, really, really fancied at the time told me about it, and invited me to do it with her (the roleplaying online, nothing else… ). So I went along to do that thing boys do - try and impress the person they fancy. The roleplay was about vampires and lycans (werewolves) because that was a big interest for this girl and myself (Anne Rice & ‘Underworld’ was preferred rather than Stephenie Meyer - Sorry Edward/ Jacob fans). I created a character called Dusk’eth, who was a werewolf, a total ‘Mary-Sue’ (a generic character who is perfect at everything) who tried to woo this girl on my behalf while she played as a vampire.

This worked about as well as you can expect, by which I mean, it didn’t. After a few roleplays, ‘Dusk’eth’ seemed to wander off to find other things on the internet, sort of like Wreck-It Ralph, and discovered a place that when by the name of ‘Gaia Online’ which was a community with cutesy little avatars and a lot more people to chat to. 

At the same time that I became more involved in this community, I went on a trip to Tenerife, where I visited the Loro Parque zoo. There, I became fascinated by a Black Panther who seemed to watch me and only me the entire time that I walked by its pen. It was more than likely wishing I was in its pen so that it could have me for lunch and I wish this story was about a free animal, not one in a cage, but nonetheless it has an impact on me. This was where Dusk’eth started to change from a werewolf to a guy who could become a cat. 

It was after this that I met other people who discussed with me what furries were and introduced me to the places on the internet where they would meet. When friends and this girl I had liked at school moved on, these people stayed and remembered my name, what was going on in my life, and held an interest that didn’t invade or ruin how I wanted to live. Eventually, Dusk settled on being a panther full time and still has many of the friends he met in those early days as close to him as they are to me, no matter where in the world they are. 

(Artwork ‘Dusk’ by Nateday, https://www.furaffinity.net/user/nateday )

And that goes some way to answering those first two questions - I still do it, because the people I befriended behind the animals they pretend to be remain good friends. They’ve been there for me in the highs, they’ve helped me through the lows, they’ve cried and cheered with me and I with them. It seems strange to those outside the furry universe, but that’s okay because to us, it makes sense. 

So, that last question, why do I still identify as Dusk, and why did I create Scaramouche too? Well, Dusk went through that part of my life with me and as I say, I put so much of me in him that he really hasn’t felt like a non-existent creature. You may have heard other writers say that about their characters. 

Scaramouche, on the other hand, is me. However, that is just a name. Not a character, just a persona to give me an extra boost of confidence when I do anything, like this right now. I can best describe it as a uniform, I know I can be a certain way when I’m Scaramouche that I cannot be when I’m Matt. I guess that’s why Elton John and Lady Gaga must feel when they step into their names too. 

There are so many more things that make me completely bizarre, like the fact I’m a Brony (a guy who likes My Little Pony) or that I believe I see dead people… sort of. But for now, I will close by explaining why it is okay, for me at least. 

Everybody has a quirk. You may not think it, but you do. It might be something disgusting, something embarrassing, something sexual, something strange, or something most in your country think is acceptable but other people from other countries would consider it strange. Everyone is a little odd and it is fine so long as it isn’t hurting anybody. You can think I’m a weirdo and that’s not a problem either. 

I know I am and I’m happy with it.

All good things, 

Love, Scaramouche. 

X

P.S. In the end we all do weird things, and if you don’t think you do, ask yourselves if you can remember which part of the chicken that egg you ate came from. Yeah?

[bakudaddy]

ICY COLD

[ todoroki shouto x reader ]  — birthday gifts

“For your eyes only,

I show you my heart.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

Izuku eyed his heterochromatic friend from the corner of his eye. Todoroki seemed to be absorbed in thought, a look of contemplation frozen on his handsome features. Well, he always looked like that; he was a nonchalant person after all.

He was oblivious to the lesson their teacher was presenting, All Might was just commentating on a recap of everyone’s latest rumble in the simulation arena. Todoroki stared outside the window for the duration of the period, absentmindedly tapping his pencil against his cheek before jotting a small phrase down in the pages of his college ruled notebook.

Izuku knew those notes weren’t related to the lesson at hand, that was for sure. All Might merely congratulated him for his outstanding and remarkable fight when it was his turn, then continued onto the next person, which was Toru.

He continued to stare outside in an almost brooding manner, even after the bell rung to release them for lunch. Usually, you’d come by and walk with your boyfriend to lunch, happily chatting to him with a smile on both your faces. But today, you had offered to take Sero to the nurse’s office after a particularly nasty fight with Koda.

Thus, Todoroki was left alone in the empty classroom. Izuku was almost reminded of the first time he met Todoroki: bitter, resentful, cruel, and above all, lonely. But with your helping hand, he changed for the better.

You showed him joy, friendship and kindness, and with that he finally bloomed into a happier person, just like a flower in spring. Izuku watched from afar as he discovered how to live life again, to be happy, to be himself. His father no longer held him back, Todoroki Shouto was his own person.

Izuku approached the half-and-half hero, catching his attention with an abrupt cough. “Oh, hello Izuku,” Todoroki greeted, his pencil laying abandoned on his notebook. “Did you realize the bell for lunch rung?” He questioned, receiving a quiet “no” from his friend.

“Since [Name] isn’t here, would you like to eat lunch with me, Iida and Uraraka?” He offered, a sheepish smile framed by the freckles on his face. Todoroki contemplated it for a second, then gave him a nod in response, “Thank you, Izuku. I need to pack up first though,” He replied, beginning to place away his supplies.

“That’s no problem!” Izuku exclaimed, “I’ll wait, it’s fine.” As Todoroki packed up his material to head to lunch, Izuku caught a quick peek of Todoroki’s notebook, the one he was writing in only minutes earlier. It was a nearly blank page, save for a few words scrawled across five lines underneath a heading.

The title caught his attention the most. In small, neat lettering, the words “birthday gift ideas for [Name]” was written across the top of the page. Izuku found himself smiling softly, you really did have Todoroki Shouto wrapped around your fingers. He didn’t have enough time to read the five things he had listed by the time Todoroki closed his notebook.

“I’m ready,” Todoroki spoke up after placing away his notebook, his bag now slung over one shoulder. “Uraraka and Iida should be there already, I’m sure they won’t mind us coming by so late,” Izuku commented, walking out of the classroom. Todoroki followed him diligently, walking side by side the smaller boy.

“Izuku, you know [Name] a lot, right?” Todoroki inquired. Sure, Izuku and you talked often, mostly about quirks, but he was nowhere near as close with you like Todoroki was. “We’re good friends, why do you ask?” He responded curiously, although he already knew the answer. After all, there would be no harm in teasing Todoroki a little.

“Well, [Name]’s birthday is coming up and—” Todoroki hesitated, trying to find the right words to say in his scrambled mind. Izuku looked up towards his friend, spotting the slightest touch of pink dusting his cheeks. Izuku blinked once, then twice, then thrice; his eyes had to be tricking him.

Never had Izuku seen Todoroki blush, not once in his life. It had to be an illusion, he expected someone to jump out—Mirio and Nejire, maybe—and tell him he got pranked. It just seemed to far out of reach to be true, Izuku was nearly frozen in disbelief.

Then again, he was talking about you here; the love of his life. To say Todoroki didn’t love you would be a lie, he truly did. The love he held for you was as fierce as his flames. Izuku realized Todoroki smiled the brightest, laughed the loudest and enjoyed himself whenever he was in your company, and the feeling was mutual.

You two were truly a power couple.

Todoroki looked to the side forlornly, “Her birthday is coming up, and I want to get her a gift as special and important as her,” He finished with a deep breath. “So you need help getting her a gift?” Izuku pieced together. Todoroki nodded his head, “In a way, yes,” He murmured, as the two of them entered the busy cafeteria.

“Izuku, Todoroki!” A feminine voice called out. The two students looked towards the source of the voice, only to see Uraraka standing up from her seat with her right arm waving in the air. Iida sat besides her, ushering her to sit down in her seat and to be mindful of the people surrounding them.

She paid his nagging no mind, continuing to wave her hand in the air so they couldn’t lose her in the sea of people. Todoroki and Izuku swam through the bustling crowd, each and every student desperate to get their lunch from the renowned hero in charge. Lunch Rush was no doubt one of the best cooks around, it was easily understandable why so many students craved his hearty meals.

Both men dropped their backpacks in the two empty chairs in front of Uraraka and Iida, then departed to go get their lunch. The line had died down considerably, to the pleasure of Todoroki. He had never been one to like long lines, especially when he was hungry.

He and Izuku were quick to order and pay for their meals, immediately heading back to their shared table when the transaction was done. Izuku flopped into the chair in front of Uraraka, his tray being set just as elegantly on the table. Todoroki sat in front of Iida, who was engaged in a conversation about pastries with Uraraka.

“Iida, we should go get some danishes from that new bakery tomorrow!” Uraraka suggested through a mouthful of rice, eliciting more scolds from her neighbor. She ignored his reprimations, instead she chose to enjoy her rice and chicken to its fullest extent.

“Todoroki, [Name] said she was going to stick around with Sero in the nurse’s office,” She added on, by now Iida had given up on scolding her. “Sero didn’t have enough energy to get healed completely after getting attacked by a dozen of Koda’s bunnies, so she brought him lunch. She’ll be back next period though,” She continued, a hum of acknowledgement coming from Todoroki. He had a spoonful of noodles in his mouth, but he had the manner to not talk with his mouth open.

“Isn’t [Name]’s birthday soon?” Iida enquired to his group of friends. Uraraka snapped her fingers, as if she just realized something. “You’re right, Iida! It’s this Sunday, I think,” She replied. “What are you guys getting her?” Izuku questioned, before eating a spoonful of rice with a piece of breaded pork cutlet.

Uraraka placed a hand on her cheek, stuck in deep thought, “She told me about this shirt she wanted recently, so maybe that if I can afford it. I’ll have to look at my expenses later, oh the struggle!” A troubled sigh left the girl’s lips as she swooned dramatically onto her neighbor’s shoulders.

“I’m planning to buy her clothes as well,” Iida remarked, “a new jacket and a pair of sweatpants for training. Shoes, too, if I can find out what her shoe size is.” Izuku listened intently, then revealed his own gift idea to his three friends, “I saw this dog plush the other day while shopping with my mom, and it reminded me of [Name]. I’m thinking of going back to the store and buying it for her.”

The three looked towards Todoroki, whose lips were pressed in a thin line. It was hard not to notice how he stared off into space again, obviously stuck in deep thought like Uraraka was only moments before. The odd behavior elicited another curious question from Uraraka, “Todoroki, what are you getting [Name]? I can already imagine how extravagant it’ll be,” She teased.

“I actually don’t have anything yet. . .” He trailed off, somewhat abashedly. Uraraka’s jaw dropped, “No way! You’re kidding, right?” Uraraka exclaimed, eyes nearly bugging out of their sockets.

He shook his head softly, his red and white hair copying his movements, “I don’t know what to get her. I want to give her something as important as her, that’s the least she deserves,” He explained further, causing a chorus of “aw”s to resonate from his classmates.

Suddenly, the bell rung without warning, it’s annoying chime interrupting their lovey-dovey cheers. The four students slung their bag over their shoulders, and departed for their homeroom classroom of 1-A. As they passed the threshold of the door, Uraraka looked up and spoke towards her bi-colored friend.

“If you need help, the girl’s and I are hanging out today after school!” She offered, a smile on her face, “we could try to help you. [Name] won’t be here today, ‘cause her parents want to take her out to birthday before they go back working overseas.”

At the mention of parents, his thoughts wandered towards his own mother. He should probably write her another letter soon, she loved the little stories he’d share about you and all his new friends after all.

Maybe he should write you a letter, too. It’s the little things that count the most he realized.

“Thank you, Uraraka,” He thanked, returning her kind smile.

Uraraka’s offer lingered in the back of his mind for the rest of the day. It was always there, begging him to accept her offer. It was too tempting to pass up, no matter how taboo it felt to interrupt girl’s night.

That’s why he found himself standing in the middle of the common room. Momo and Jirou sat on one of the couches in the expansive room, a light pink blanket loosely thrown over their legs. Momo held a bottle of red nail polish in one hand, the other holding a brush that gently applied nail polish onto Jirou’s awaiting hands.

The other four girls sat on the floor in front of the couch, each one dressed in comfortable clothing. Tsuyu sat besides Uraraka, painting her nails with a pastel pink polish. A floating brush applied vibrant teal polish onto Mina’s pink fingers, Todoroki could only guess that it was Toru painting the other’s nails.

The large T.V. in the common room played an unknown show in the background, filling the white noise that filled the room. There was an air of contentment in the room, all the girls happily chatting with one another as they got their nails painted with vibrant colors.

Mina was the first one to notice him. She met his gaze when she looked away from her nails being painted, then cracked a wide smile at the inexpressive hero. “Dressed for the occasion, I see,” Mina joked, patting a spot besides her with her free, already painted hand.

Todoroki looked down at his choice of clothing. He wore a white, loose fitting, short sleeved baseball tee. It’s left sleeve was a vibrant vermillion, while it’s right sleeve was a contrasting midnight blue, both correlating with the sides of his quirk. Covering his legs were a pair of simple, black sweatpants.

His shirt, one apart of a rather expensive collection based off U.A.’s newest heroes, was a gift from his adoring mother and loving older sister. He could still remember the day his mother presented it to him when he arrived in her hospital room, a soft smile on her face.

Of course, you had a matching shirt. It was only natural, and his mother’s heart was sent over the moon upon seeing your matching outfits.

He took a seat in between Mina and Tsuyu. “Uraraka told us that you might come today,” Momo commented, adding one last coat to Jirou’s nails. “You need help with getting [Name] a birthday gift, right?” Jirou questioned, receiving a firm nod as a response from Todoroki.

“How cute!” Toru gushed. Although the bi-colored boy couldn’t see her, he imagined there’d be a wide grin on Toru’s face. “Todoroki is such a good boyfriend, ribbit,” Tsuyu added on, voicing her classic ribbit.

“Mhm, you’re right about that, Tsu-chan!” Uraraka acknowledged idly, chocolate eyes focused on the nails Tsuyu carefully painted. “Where is [Name] anyways?” Mina looked around the room, trying to spot her [hair color] haired friend.

“Her parents took her out to birthday dinner because they’re leaving for America tomorrow,” Momo answered, her hands rummaging absentmindedly through the case of color nail polish bottles. She produced a milky white bottle of nail polish, setting it aside in favor of digging through the various bottles once more.

“Oh! I totally forgot,” Mina responded with an amused laugh. “I miss her already,” Tsuyu said with a saddened sigh. She placed the brush stained with pink nail polish back into its respective bottle, having finally finished painting Uraraka’s nails.

“Don’t say that, Tsu! You’ll make me miss her, too,” Mina retorted playfully. “Ah, now I miss her! It’s spreading like a curse,” Toru whined. “I miss her, too,” Todoroki commented offhandedly, inadvertently starting a conversation with the girls of Class 1-A.

While they continued to talk, Momo dug through the tub filled with various bottles nail polish. It wasn’t long until Momo found what she was looking for: a bottle of chili red nail polish. A pleased smile crossed her face, and she handed the bottle to Tsuyu.

“So, can you help me?” Todoroki asked once more. “Totally! But, on one condition,” Mina declared. Todoroki raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue. She cleared her throat, a way to add to the tension and suspense in the air, “you’ve got to fill in for [Name] tonight.”

“That’s it?” He reaffirmed, only to be answered by each girl nodding their head. “Fine,” He relented, “but only because I love [Name].” A chorus of “aw” filled the room, as Toru gratefully took the milky white bottle of nail polish from Momo.

He extended both his hands, letting Tsuyu and Toru paint his fingernails with the colorful enamel. Instead of painting straight away as he thought, Toru pulled out a pair of nail cutters and began to trim down his nails.

“Todoroki, you have nice nails! I’m jealous,” Toru whined as she filed his trimmed nails into shape. She filed away the rough edges, turning them into smoother curves. Once she was done, his nails had a perfect shape.

“First things first, [Name] absolutely adores the stars,” Jirou informed, “astrology is one of her favorite topics besides, you know, quirks.” He took note of that, saving it for later. You often talked about the constellations you loved during the nights you two stayed up and stargazed together on the roof of the dorms. His mind began to create possible gift ideas, something perfect for a person as amazing as yourself.

Toru placed his hand into a cup of lukewarm water, and let Tsuyu perform the same treatment on his left hand. Having his nails done was relaxing in a way, Todoroki could see why you all cherished girls’ night so much. They treated his nails with care, and treated him as one of their own. He silently debated whether or not to join next time; surely they wouldn’t care, right?

His left hand replaced his right hand in the cup of water. He wasn’t exactly sure why they placed his hands in the water in the first place, but made no action to question it. If it was apart of their girls’ night rituals, he’d just have to deal with it.

Toru poured a generous amount of something on his fingers. All he knew was that it was cold, and she slowly massaged it into his cuticles. “Don’t worry, it’s just cuticle remover,” Momo chuckled, catching his confused look.

She took a towel and wiped it off as fast as it was applied. Toru carefully pushed back his cuticles with a wooden cuticle pusher, then clipped the dead skin away with a pair of metal cuticle clippers. As grotesque as it looked, it was surprisingly painless.

Toru poured lotion onto her fingers and massaged it into his hands in practiced motions. It felt nice to be pampered in a feminine way, he thought. “I think my manicures are getting better!” She cheered, showing the girls Todoroki’s freshly cut nails.

They all agreed eagerly, encouraging the invisible girl with compliments and praise of all kind. “Aw, you guys are too sweet!” Toru giggled bashfully.

“Now that we’re moving onto the nail polish, I’ll tell you another thing [Name] likes.” Uraraka’s statement grabbed all his attention, his eyes and ears were both focused on her. “She liked rings, gold rings especially. They don’t have to be real gold, she’ll appreciate it either way!”

Rings, huh? With your quirk, he shouldn’t be so surprised. Your quirk, transmutation, gave you the ability to manipulate and change the form of an object into something entirely new. You always wore jewelry on you, just in case you’d need to transmute something suddenly. It was a smart idea, and it’s saved you more time than he can count.

Toru uncapped the bottle of white nail polish, a strong smell emanating from the liquid enamel. She set to work immediately, meticulously painting coats of white nail polish onto the blank canvas of his right hand.

Stars, rings and quirks: an odd set of interests. His mind was doing somersaults, trying to scrape together an idea for your perfect birthday gift. “What do you think I should get her?” He asked the group of girls.

“You don’t need to give her much to make her happy,” Tsuyu pointed out, starting to apply red polish to his left hand, “just make it memorable, as if it’s your last time telling her ‘I love her’ okay?” Todoroki’s heterochromatic eyes widened, the pieces of the puzzle of his mind finally coming together.

“I agree with Tsu! If it’s too bland, you’re not gonna get a good reaction from our sweet queen. Try something that’d bring a girl to tears,” Mina suggested, giving Todoroki a wink. Toru placed his hand in the nail dryer.

“Words mean just as much as actions do,” Uraraka told him, a heartfelt look in her eyes. He closed his own eyes briefly, gathering his thoughts into one coherent idea.

“I think. . .I know what to do now,” He spoke rather tentatively. Before he could say anything else, the girls of class 1-A were instantly upon him, each of their eyes sparkling with newfound interest and curiosity.

“You aren’t getting away without telling us!”

The black boots that covered your dainty feet tapped loudly against the concrete sidewalk, courtesy of the thick soles on your shoes. You clutched the thick, black jacket tighter around your small frame as the wind gained speed. The wind carried around stray strands of your [hair color] hair, prompting you to tuck it behind your ear once more. It was a cold, windy night, yet Todoroki had asked you to come to the park anyways.

The cold reminded you of many things: winter; snow; ice cream; and above all, your boyfriend.

You loved Todoroki Shouto with all your heart. While you were the sun, he was the moon, living together in perfect harmony. You were the light of his life, and he brought peace into your own. The two of you balanced each other out perfectly, it was no wonder how the two of you became so close.

Speak of the devil and he shall come. It was hard to miss the mop of red and white hair among  the empty park. Apparently you caught his attention as well, as he perked up once he caught sight of your smaller person. You gave him a small wave, one that he returned.

You picked up the pace, going into a small jog to catch up with him. Soon, you stood before the love of your life, a small smile plastered across your face. “Hey, Todoroki,” You greeted, staring up into his heterochromatic eyes with your own [eye color] ones. Puffs of air left your mouth, turned smoky by the crisp winter air.

It was silent between the two of you. His eyes darted to the side nervously, as if he were debating something internally, then they focused back on you. Before you could question his odd behavior, his hands reached out to cup your own.

His hand were contrasting in temperature, like always. You welcomed his touch though, letting your hands rest within his. While his right hand was cold, his left hand was warm. His quirk amazed you, it was always fascinating to see the aspiring hero tame fire and ice.

Just like your personalities, your quirks worked in harmony as well. He could generate ice for you to transmute with your quirk. Ice was essentially water, and with that you could create many things. If things became bad, you could always transmute the ice leftover from his attacks into projectiles and weapons. You two were strong individually, but stronger together.

A heart made of ice appeared in your hands, swirls of cold air emanating from the product of Todoroki’s quirk. The rush of cold air nipped at the hem of jacket’s sleeve, causing miniscule snowflakes to dot the material. You gazed at it with curiosity, wondering what trick Todoroki had up his sleeve. “What’s this?” You mused playfully, head tilted ever so slightly.

“Before I met you, [Name], I had a cold heart. One made of ice, even,” Todoroki spoke softly, “When you came into my life and gave me a hand—a reason to keep on living—you melted this cold heart of mine.”

Your eyes widened at Todoroki’s words, heart beating rapidly in your chest. Suddenly, the heart of ice melted away, revealing a ring that rested in your cupped hands. It was a beautiful ring, one made of gold with a star shaped diamond.

“You shine like a thousand stars in the sky, even through thick and thin. I want this ring to remind you that you’re my star, the one who shines brightest in my life.”

He gently took your left hand, then slid the ring onto your ring finger, “This is a promise that I’ll love you forever.” You looked up at him once more, too shocked to say anything besides gape at him like a fish.

“Happy Birthday, to the one who I love the most.”

[crayonwriting]

Irreplaceable You: 6 (Bucky Barnes)

Summary: Unexpectedly diagnosed with a terminal disease, you embark on a mission to find a new love for your fiancé and childhood best friend, Bucky Barnes.

Disclaimer: This story is a rewrite of the movie of the same title on Netflix. Directed by Stephanie Laing and written by  Bess Wohl. Go check it out!

A/N: This was so long! I got carried away, I think? 2.7k words! I didn’t proofread much. Please point out my mistakes. :) Oh, and enjoy folks!

—

You were slightly slouching on your chair in support group, scrolling through your phone. You hid your under your coat on your lap so that no one would notice. You were a week in on the dating app, still looking at some girls for Bucky.

'Slutty.' Swipe. 'Sluttier.' Swipe. 'Ooh. Triplets.'

As you were busy, your Nebula continued to talk about her recent check up.

"And so, uh, when my numbers came back this time, I just," she paused, sighing defeatedly. "Honestly, I just thought I can't keep fighting." She shrugged.

"Oh Nebula, you don't have to go there." Wanda said, smiling. "It's all about attitude." She pointed to her own face and smiled widely.

"Well," Bruce interrupted, "Let's let Nebula have her process." Wanda turned to Bruce, putting a hand to his knee.

"Oh, absolutely. Yeah." She pulled her hands on her lap and and sat properly. "I just think that her process should be more positive."

"Everyone is entitled to... to be sad." Thor chimed in. Bruce nodded solemnly, agreeing.

"It's not even your cancer." Loki glared at Thor beside him. Thor could only look back with the same expression.

"I… I like to think of it as me." Thor said proudly. Loki intentionally rolled his eyes at his brother, lifting his hands up in defeat.

"Of course you do." He crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head in disappointment.

"You know what I'm loving these days?" Wanda asked the group who gave no answer. "Meditation. And I... I know it sounds trite, but I just have been feeling so blessed every time I sit there in silence."

"Maybe you could try that now?" Bruce suggested.

You burst out laughing, causing the whole group to look at you.

"Or we could laugh." Bruce eyed you carefully. "That's okay too."

"Sorry." You muttered, sitting straighter. "I'm sorry. Just…" You raised your phone in the air, "Some of these women are so cheesy." You read off one of the profiles you were currently on."'I want to dip you in whipped cream and put my cherry on top.'  What does that even mean, anatomically speaking?" You asked the group.

"Using a sundae model as a sexual proposition." Bruce analyzed.

"It is confusing. I have to s...I mean, cherry... cherry's got to be a hymen, right?" Wanda suggested.

"Probably a busted hymen." Loki blurted out. Wanda nodded, agreeing. Her eyes lit up at a memory.

"Oh! Oh! I... I, um... mine broke on a horse." Wanda sniggered, smiling with pride as if it were an achievement. Thor nodded beside her.

"And me, I was born without one." He stated. Everyone looked back at him as if he had two heads. Loki slapped his palm against his forehead, regretting to be related to the idiot beside him.

"Okay!" Bruce leaned on his knees and sighed. "Uh, that's about it for today."

—

You sat by the glass wall overlooking the city. You were still at support group but sharing was over. You were all free to do whatever you want within the room. You had one leg folded against you, your thumb continuously scrolling swiping through your phone.

“Were you sexting just now?” You didn’t have to look at the person to know who it was. Tony sat on the chair in front of you with a smirk on his face.

“Let me have my process.” You responded, still distracted,

“Your process is sexting?” Tony mocked. You looked at him sharply, leaning forward onto the table.

"You're the one who said Bucky would go through a slut phase." You looked at him, eyebrows bent with worry. You looked back at your phone, continuing your research. "I thought you were crazy, but then I thought about it more, and he's gonna be a chick magnet." Tony's smug look remained on his face.

"And the worst part is, he's gonna have no idea how to handle it because he's never had to date."  You were frantic which Tony found amusing. "He's gonna be lonely and vulnerable. He could wind up with someone really controlling and crazy."

"Yeah, imagine that."

"I have to make sure he finds love and learns how to cook chicken."

"Classic rookie mistake." Tony raised his finger at you and shook his head. You shrugged and asked what he was talking about.

"Thinking you can do something to lessen the loss. There's a word for what you're doing. It's a technical term. You want to know it?" He raised his eyebrows at you.

"No, thanks." You ignored him, going back to your phone.

"'Anticipatory grieving.'" Tony went into full boy genius mode. "Trying to cope with the loss before it happens." He leaned forward and pointed to Thor.

"So, Thor over there,” He pointed to Thor who was busy knitting absentmindedly by the tables, “He writes a birthday card to Loki  for every year he's gonna be gone. I know they don't get along but hell, Thor would do anything for his brother. He always thinks he’ll be gone first." He scanned the room and saw Nebula by the far end corner.

"Nebula, over there, makes a video montage of herself as Santa's elf for all the Christmases she's gonna miss with her niece and nephew. She has a sister down South. It doesn’t change anything.” He shrugged.

You sighed heavily at how sad it had sounded. You were each trying to cope with what is to come in different ways, but still nothing could ever prepare your loved ones—especially yourself—for death. You felt defeated and looked helplessly at Tony. Tony smiled sadly.

“Look, what do I know? My advice? You're hooking him up,” he leaned closer to you, “Concentrate on a booty. Yours is, kind of, flat.” You both laughed softly, with you smacking his arm lightly.

“My booty is not flat.”

“You have a terrible ass.”

“Fuck you.” You gave him the middle finger. You shook your head and went back to your phone.

“Here, give me that.” Tony snatched your phone and scrolled. “Oh, you got a match.”

“Oh, really?” You pulled your chair beside his.

—

“We can look into doctors, and, um, experimental treatments, and all that shit. I mean, she's gonna beat the odds, man.” Sam looked at the beer bottle he was holding in his hands, absentmindedly admiring it. “I mean, that's what odds are for.” He stared back at the lake in the city park where Bucky had asked to meet up.  

“Odds are for, you know, for beating. Man, look, I bet Y/N is on the phone right now with doctors from Germany just like—”

“Sam.” Bucky sounded almost helpless.

“Yeah?” Sam looked at his best friend.

“Talk about something else.” Bucky looked at him desperately. His breathing came out in soft clouds of white as the weather was getting colder by the day. Sam stared at Bucky sadly. He clapped a hand against his back.

“Yeah. Yeah, yeah, okay.” Sam took a swig of his beer.” He looked to the distance. “Something else, huh?” He bit his lip, thinking hard. Bucky sat silently, peeling the label off of his own drink.

“Okay, guess how many people have the same birthday as you?” Sam asked. Bucky shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Ten million. You know the percentage of identical twins?”

“Five?” Bucky answered.

“Mm-mm.” Sam shook his head. “Three.” He held up three fingers. “Oh, man, did you know that a pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes?” Bucky suddenly spat his drink.

“Seriously?”

Sam nodded, a bit smugly. “Thirty whole minutes, man, yeah. Oh, and then when bats fly out of a cave, they go left.”

“Why?”

“Hell if I know, man.” Sam thought of another fact as he drank. “Donald F. Duck. What's his middle name?”

“Frank.” Bucky said, firmly.

“No.”

“Frederick.”

“No.”

“F... Uh…” Bucky struggled.

“Fauntleroy.”

Both men laughed at how ridiculous it was.

“Faunt what?” Bucky asked, still chuckling.

“Fauntleroy.” Sam repeated. “I don’t know where the hell they got a name like that.”

Bucky shook his head, smiling and grateful to have a best friend like Sam Wilson.

—

“You know, I'm only trying to prepare him for the inevitable.” You stared at the hospital ceiling. You coughed, a bit harshly, and spat on the small bucket Scott got for you.

“Mm-hmm.”

“I mean, let's be real. Life is gonna go on.”

“I'm gonna go ahead and just stop you right there.” Scott cut in as he took a spoonful of his food. “This is all maybe some of the dumbest shit that I have ever heard in my entire life. And if you do get better, you're gonna feel like a real ass.” Your mouth opened wide in shock, and you tilted your head at him in question.

“You are not allowed to talk to me like that, okay? I'm sick.” You said.

“I don't think that makes you special in this context.”

You stared at Scott, not believing that he was against you. You coughed feebly in an attempt to woo him. He only shook his head disapprovingly.

“Not working.”

You pretended to have a coughing fit once again, shaking your whole body as if you had a seizure.

“No. No. No, come on, that's not gonna work.” He said, signalling you to stop. You pouted at him, trying to make the cutest face you could possibly pull. “Nope. Nope. The pouty thing... “ he gestured to you using his spoon. “That's not working either. No, none of it. None of it.” You raised your arms at him.

“Are you showing me your tubes?” You rolled your eyes at him, pulling off your monitor from your pointer finger and inserting it back on your middle finger. You flashed it in front of Scott who was still unaffected.

“That's very mature. You want some orange rice?” He offered his bowl to you.

“No.”

“No? All right.” You both remained in silence for a few moments.

“It's a pretty dumb idea, though.” Scott shrugged. You gave him the evil eye, completing ignoring his disapproving statements.

“It is not dumb.” You sighed heavily.

—

You were sitting at a cafe, waiting for the ‘applicants’ to come in one by one. You had set up a small meet-up with a few women who were interested in dating a four-eyed, bun-wearing, nerdy professor like Bucky.

-

Catherine K., 32

“So I decided to cut out gluten. That was like the first thing that I did. I would just like, wake up in the morning and feel like totally fatigued. Just like, ‘eh.’”

You nodded, unsure.

“You know, it’s the weirdest thing.” You raised your eyebrows, encouraging her to continue. “My cat’s name is Sam.”

“Right.”

Remarks: NO WAY

-

Hillary G., 26

You laughed a little as you got to know about Hillary.

“So uhm, you know, into his, uh, sciencey stuff. I don't really get any of it, but—”

She cut you off laughing continuously. You slightly widened your eyes at her with a tight-lipped smile.

Remarks: WEIRD

-

Olivia P., 29

“Okay, so what are you looking forward to in this relationship?” You asked her.

“Well, I hope it’s all honest and just full of trust.” She expressed, albeit a bit too enthusiastically. “I also want an apartment with him, and a dog too. Children! I want children so much. Maybe we’ll have three. Five is probably the maximum.”

You stared at her emotionless.

Remarks: YIKES

-

“No, no, no.” You crossed out the names of those you already talked to. “Too freaky. Too needy. Too slutty. Too neurotic.” You whispered to yourself, thinking about the whole day you’ve spent in the cafe. You sighed, resting your forehead against your palm.

“A few more people to go.”

-

“So it says on your online profile you were Phi Beta Kappa.”

“I had no life in college.” Sally sipped her coffee casually. You laughed, finding it amusing that how casual—and normal—she was being.

“And now you're a researcher for the National Institute of Health?”

“Yes. Still have no life. I'm just... I'm just tired of being alone.” You nodded as you listened intently. “I'm where I want to be career-wise, and I really would like to settle down and have a family.” She reached out beside you and pulled your coffee cup out of the edge of the table. She placed it in the middle and laughed lightly.

“Oh, my God. Sorry. It was gonna fall over. Natural caretaker. Also overbearing neurotic.”

“I'm the same way.” You nodded, looking down at your hands. “Um… Let's set up a date.” You smiled.

“Okay.” Sally nodded. “Um, just… If I could just be honest with you, um, I just don't quite understand why a man would send his assistant to pre-interview women.”

You stiffened and tried to hide your uneasiness.

“I just... I don't get it.” Sally shrugged.

“Yeah, um... Here's the deal.”

After telling her the truth about what you were doing, Sally didn’t hesitate to pick up her bag and coffee, storming out of the cafe.

“Sally!” You chased after her. “Please don't hold it against him!”

“This is the craziest thing like ever!” She shouted back at you before spinning around and walking away completely.

You stood there in front of the cafe, shell-shocked. You’ve totally blown this whole ‘anticipatory grieving’ thing Tony mentioned. Maybe you should just try a different method. Feeling bad, you wrapped your arms around yourself and rushed back into the cafe. You just wanted to pack up and go home.

You hastily shoved all your stuff back in your bag, knocking your coffee cup completely off the table.

“Oh, shit. Oh, sorry! I'm sorry!” You reached down to pick up the cup but the barista near your table rushed to your side and helped clean the accident.

“No, I got it. I got it.” She said, wiping down the floor and putting the cup upright on your table. You stared at her anxiously.

“It's kind of a long story.” You tried to explain.

“I... I think I heard it.” The barista answered. “I mean, I know I shouldn't, but spying on the customers is like the only thing that makes this job halfway bearable.” She looked at you. “You are way more interesting than most.” Sighing, you sat on your chair, sulking.

“I know, it's unusual…”

“Hey, I think it's awesome.” The barista sat in front of you. “Like, my mom died seven years ago. I was in high school.” You listened to her, keenly. “And after she passed, my dad spent every night alone. And I tried to tell him, ‘Go out. Live life. Find someone.’”

“But not just anyone. The right person.” She gave you a look which told you she agreed.

“Exactly. Which is hard.” She nodded.

You laughed, humorlessly.

“Right.”

“I mean, do you have any like friends or anything that could like take him off your hands?” She asked.

“Not anyone that would get this.” You shook your head, continuing to put your papers and stuff back in your bag.

“Right. I mean, the thing is, finding the right one is actually about volume.” She put her finger to her temple as if she were thinking. “You should host a mixer. No, like, invite some people.” You scoffed at her suggestion, standing up and getting ready to leave.

“Yeah, right. Nothing says ‘fun’ like a mixer hosted by your dying fiancee.”

“I mean, I'm having an art opening… at this gallery space on Friday. You could use it as a front.” You put on your coat, still listening to her. “You, like, wouldn't even need to be there. And an art opening could bring together some really interesting women. Like the right types. Not that there wouldn't be some people there with like interest in the free snacks, but…” You opened your mouth to interrupt.

“I wouldn't want to—”

“No.” She stood up, blocking your path. “Honestly, you'd be doing me a real solid.” You opened your mouth once again, but found yourself with nothing to say. Her idea was crazy but it was worth a shot. You laughed lightly, smiling widely at her. She smiled back. You raised your hand towards her.

“I’m Y/N.” She shook your hand.

“I'm Nat.”

—

feedback is appreciated!

tags: @blueskiesbleakeyes / @justanothergirlwithdemons /  @butteryoptimisticpeanut /  @likes-to-smell-books /  @hennessy0274-blog

[erikismybitch]

Drillmonger conclusion

Part 2

There will be a Part 3 because it was too long for 1 mobile post .

-

Candy didn’t call him , he called her and sent several messages. It took a lot of convincing but eventually she caved in.

Who better to show you around than me?

To Candy’s knowledge Erik was sending a driver to come and pick her up . The two of them would meet and explore . But she wasn’t the least bit surprised when Erik pulled up to her hotel. How devious of him, she didn’t reason with her true feelings . Either Candy was blinded or she simply didn’t know it was a tactic to win her back . She got into the car , it was odd though . She had never been in his passenger seat nor outside of a room with him . Restaurants and pools inside of hotels but never anything like this .

They drove on the opposite side of the road in Wakanda , Erik seemed to navagate just fine , in fact , he knew the roads well . Candy told him that she was hungry and he knew the perfect place to bring her . She insisted it be a Non-Touristy place .

“I know , believe it or not ... I do know things about you Candy“ he pulled into a spot parallel to a small run down restaurant. It had a half built wooden porch in the front of it . Where a few old men sat at a card table playing dominoes and drinking country branded alcohol. Blocking the semi opened door were two small boys wresting. Erik snapped at them , speaking a few words in Xhosa. They stopped fighting eachother right away. Candy smiled because that was the first time she heard him speak his native language. She would often try to make him speak it in the past but he refused. Erik pushed open the frail door and lead them into the restaurant . Instantly they were welcomed by the cool air from the raggedy air conditioning.

Wakanda was hot .

They were also welcomed by the wonderful smell of garlic and sizzling sounds of simmering meat. “Njadaka!”

The woman’s voice carried through the room . It was deep , and if Candy hadn’t seen where it came from she would have assumed she was a man. The woman was short and round, and had those big arms that flapped when she held them up . Her coarse hair was braided neatly in a crown . “Njadaka?” Candy repeated lowly under her breath.

“It’s my name-name”

Erik walked over to who he called “Auntie” And kissed her cheek . She stood behind the food counter and they spoke to each other in Xhosa . They both looked over at Candy and smiled . His aunt waved and Candy waved back . Which made her feel awkward more than anything . So Candy took a seat , she figured they were talking about her . She found a small table that wobbled and the three chairs didn’t match . Candy didn’t complain, she was extremely humble and appreciated every experience .

A little time had past when Erik and “auntie “ walked over to the table . He placed two bottles of water down and told Candy that he had ordered some food . Her stomach growled with anticipation. Besides having sex with Erik , eating was her favorite thing to do . Candy introduced herself , the woman was a family friend and had known “Njadaka“ since he was born . That was the reason he called her auntie . Candy was taken by surprise when she hugged her , nice and tight . Which made Candy’s eyes bug out in shock and caused Erik to laugh .

“He looks nice and healthy. He used to be so skinny !” His auntie slapped her calloused palm onto Erik’s belly .

“Well , I make sure he eats when he’s with me” . Candy said in a way that insinuated something else . Erik mouthed a “wow”, thanking god that his aunt didn’t catch on. Candy sipped on her water, while the two began to speak Xhosa amongst eachother. Again Candy could tell they were talking about her. His aunt could speak fluent English . She found it to be a little rude , but this was the local dialect . Candy made a note to mention it to Erik later .

“N’jadaka... is he your boyfriend no?” the aunt blurted this almost as a statement , rather than a question . Candy had forgotten about his real name and almost said “who ?” But once she caught on , she looked to Erik for help . She didn’t know where they stood , but a couple was way far fetched.

“Umm” Candy mumbled . Erik looked straight ahead, avoiding her gaze on purpose . His aunt threw him off guard too “No, just friends “ she answered.

His aunt yelped a loud “Ah!” And slapped Erik’s back hard . And as strong as he was, she made him hiss in pain . “Well, I have a son who needs a good wife!”

Erik interject by yelling in Xhosa. Loudly . With his nostrils flaring in anger . His aunt gave him a few choice words herself that Candy did not of course understand , not before she hit his back again and walked off .

Candy rubbed the exact spot his aunt struck, she tried her best to hold in her giggles . She could tell that one hurt worse than the first one .

“Wish I could hear you speak your language more often” Candy stopped comforting Erik and sipped her bottle of water . “I like it”

Erik digressed and took a sip of his water. To him, his language wasn’t a big deal . Besides , he was a little embarrassed at the scene that just unveiled.

“You guys we’re talking about me ” she spoke in an apprehensive manner . She didn’t want to hear the actual answer . She just wanted Erik to know that she noticed. Erik didn’t answer her right away so Candy’s attention turned towards the two boys who were still fighting outside . They were filthy from the dirt roads , Candy knew their mothers would be pissed when they saw them . She figured they weren’t brothers, they looked nothing alike .

Her gaze reverted back to Erik, on account of his fingers turning her chin towards him. “Don’t trip“ he told her . She rested along the back of the chair, therefore his hand couldn’t touch her anymore . Don’t trip? She crossed her arms .

“She said you’re pretty... which is true “ Erik tried to sweeten up the mood. Candy gave him an expression of disbelief. He and his aunt talked for a while , that wasn’t the only topic .

“And you yelled at her when she mentioned me marrying her son”

Erik blinked a few times as if he was chasing a thought . He drew his plump lower lip into his teeth before he spoke . “I told her that was my job “ he smiled as if his words were some kind of joke.

“Yeah whatever, Young Kill” Candy hid the delight that wanted so badly to spread across her face .

The food came , thank god . It was tension between the duo . Nothing bad , just two people who couldn’t quite express how they really felt about one another . Well, more so Erik in that manner.

He told her about everything he had ordered . Rice , fried fish , a wet chicken dish and some kind of bowl filled with stew . Erik taught her how to eat it . Some of the dishes called to be eaten with their hands. Erik spoke about the traditional way to eat . He told Candy that the women fed the man. Candy informed him it would be “over her dead body” before she would feed him in public .

“What about in private ?“ he joked . They were Seemingly enjoying things . So much so that Candy peeled off a fatty piece of fish and put it to Erik’s mouth . Feeding him caused him to boast and she promised to never do it again .

“What does her son looks like” Candy refered to the son that Erik’s aunt was sure her match. Erik stopped chewing and peered over Candy’s shoulder.

“He’s right over there “ he pointed his nose over to a man sitting near the kitchen area. He was short , round and bald . His eyes were crossed and as soon as he noticed Candy looking at him, he smiled. Revealing that his front left tooth was half gone .

Candy turned back to Erik, buggeyed holding in her laugh . Erik couldn’t help it , his laugh was loud and obnoxious. Which broke Candy and she wailed out too . So hard that tears fell from her eyes .

Erik stopped laughing for a moment and watched her . How beautiful she was when she was carefree and not trying to be . He had grew in that time period of them being apart . Erik knew he couldn’t lose her again. In the midst of her amusement, Erik quickly squeezed out a question .

“You wanna meet my people ?”

Candy took a deep pause , and tried her best to gain composure. She took a huge bite of food to buy her time. Twenty four hours ago Erik was the last thing on her mind . And now she was being faced with the decision of meeting his family.

“We can go to the hotel and get your stuff” he began ranting like a child . Candy quickly shook her head, but it didn’t phase him at all . “Come on, my parents have a really big house , it’s clean , you can even sleep a guest room”

She held her hand up in defense and finally swallowed her food to speak . “I don’t think that’s a good idea”

Erik picked off a small piece of the fried fish , slowly he held it up to her mouth . When she wouldn’t open up , He opened his mouth to show her what to do. When she laughed , he tried to put it in her mouth . When he missed the fish smashed amongst her chin.

“If you not feeling it , I’ll bring you back” Erik wiped her chin with his hand.

“Straight back ? “ Erik’s sudden act affection made her giddy , and it toyed with her logic .

Erik took her question as an indirect yes . Erik could still read her , as if no time had passed at all . Candy agreed to go, but staying the night was out of the question . Erik would have to work harder for that .

(Sorry it’s so short , the last add will be worth it!)

And sorry for typos . I’m sleepy .

[jimlingss]

The Deli Diaries [6]

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 || Chapter 11 [Finale]

➜ Words: 1.8k

➜ Genres: Fluff & Cuteness, That good ol’ slow burn, Slice of Life

➜ Summary: Working at a grocery store deli is absolutely unbearable (and you’re also perfectly aware of how dramatic you are). But it seems like something, or rather, someone might make the job a bit more manageable.

➜ Warnings: Mundane-ness that might make you bored to death

➜ Notes: i swear the story is moving...just...very slowly.

Your job sucks.   But it’s starting to suck less, especially when the microwave reads 2:00pm.   Right on the mark, you come strolling to the other side of the deli where your kind manager is putting away some of the orders that arrived a few minutes ago. “Hey, Serri. Is it okay if I go on my lunch break now?”   The old lady frowns in concern. “You haven’t eaten lunch yet? Yes, yes! Go right ahead.”   “I’ll be back in half-an-hour then, in time to package the chicken.” You’re ripping off your gloves and she nods, urging you to not worry about it and to go eat and refuel yourself. On the way to grabbing your bag, you wash your hands and rip off your hairnet, adjusting your black cap in the tiny mirror above the sink, trying your best to clean yourself up.   You nabbed a hat from your insane supervisor, having requested she order one for a few weeks now. The constant reminders annoyed her but it’s the only reason you have it now. For one, it’s completely free so why not. And secondly, you could hide your greasy hair and actually tame it from the long day of work. Plus, in this way, you can look less horrible for a certain someone.   “Hey, produce boy.” You run into that certain someone on the way to the staff room and he has his own bag slung on his shoulder. His brunette hair is ruffled, red apron clean, black shirt and pants appearing like it’s been ironed.   “Hey, deli girl.” Jimin smiles, still amused with the little nickname you gave him.   “Are you going for lunch?” You push the backdoor open for him and he says ‘thank you’ as he enters.   Mischief twinkles in his eye and he downcasts his head trying to hide the way the corners of his lips are upright. But Jimin can’t help himself and he steals another glimpse of you. “I am.”   “What a coincidence.”   Or more like the two of you have been syncing up your breaks every other day now.   The job was actually pretty nice now that you had a friend to share your meals with. It’s not like you could hang out with Yuna in the breakroom considering only one person at a time was allowed to leave the deli area. Plus, you found Jimin’s company surprisingly nicer than your phone or any youtube video you could scrape up using the shitty wifi connection.   “What are the odds?” He laughs and then opens the door to the room for you. This time, you’re the one saying ‘thank you’ as you enter and he follows behind.   “I know, right?” You giggle and then move to pop open the microwave, throwing the stolen chicken-pot pie into it and hitting a minute to heat it up. In the meanwhile, Jimin pulls out two chairs and begins setting up, putting a few napkins down on the table not to make a mess and taking out his sandwich that he always cuts into two nowadays.   Luckily, there’s no one else in the staff room, only one person who exits the washroom and beelines out, down the stairs, returning back to their job before time runs out.   As the microwave whirrs, you move towards the wall of postings, scanning each of them and looking for your center’s number. “Are you thinking of switching?” Jimin asks in curiosity, moving to stand beside you. “Bakery? Or are you gonna transfer to another store?”   “Psh.” You move away when you can’t find anything of interest. “Why would I leave this store when it’s literally a ten minute walk from my house? If I had to take the bus, I swear I’d be late and fired on the first day.”   He laughs and the microwave dings, causing you to open it and grab two plastic spoons from the dispenser. “Plus, I don’t think bakery is hiring for another two years,” you mumble as an afterthought. “Unless someone dies, they’re not gonna train anyone here. Those ladies have been working there for a loooooong time.”   “I guess you and deli are gonna be together till death do you part,” he teases while taking a seat and you take yours adjacent to him. You grumble at the thought of the deli being in your foreseeing future and he smiles, cracking open his water bottle to take a sip.   “Oh. I actually have something.” Your eyes light up when you remember and you dig into your bag, pulling out a ziplock. “It’s honey ham.”   “Again?” Jimin laughs, grabbing a piece to eat. “I thought you hated hams.”   “Yeah...but I cut too much for a customer earlier, so I took it with me.”   “Aren’t you going to get fired?” He questions while you pick up the half of his sandwich and take a huge bite of it. In turn, he grabs the spoon and begins to eat the chicken pot pie that you took.   “Maybe.” You shrug, not really caring if you get fired. At the moment, you’re more preoccupied with enjoying this food, unable to stop taking massive bites of Jimin’s sandwich. “Y’know, I’m not a big fan of sandwiches but this is pretty good. Did you make it yourself?”   “Yeah.” Jimin smiles, a bit bashful over the compliment. “It’s not that hard. I just have to toast the bread for a minute and spread a teaspoon of butter. I also spread some mayo on the other slice and I cut a tomato, put in a bit of baloney and sometimes egg. There’s some cheese and lettuce, pickles too….”   He admits, he might’ve upped his sandwich game ever since you started sharing a half with him.   “God, that’s already ten steps too much for me.” You steal another bite, appreciating the flavour more and more. “But how do you get it so it isn’t melted and squished in your bag.”   “Oh, I put it in the produce cooler when I get here.”   “Dude…..you’re awesome.” You flash a huge thumbs up, wholly impressed with how seriously he takes your lunches together. “I like how you think ahead. Meanwhile, I’ve had the same pot pie for four days now. I’m so sick of it.”   Jimin takes another scoop of the pie. “Why do you keep getting it then?”   “Well, you like it, don’t you?”   You say it nonchalantly but it hits Jimin and he tries to repress a smile, though failing to do so. “It’s not bad, but I’m really fine with anything.”   “You’re too nice, produce boy.”   He really doubts that, especially when he’s sitting next to you. But he doesn’t say anything about it. “How was work so far? Any cute kids? Any rude customers?” He takes another bite and swallows it down. “Any grease you want me to help pour out?”   You grin. “None yet….of any of that. But you might need to help me pour out some grease later. I call holding the door.”   “Deal.”   Really, it’s a deal that sucks on his end. Yet, Jimin insists he can pour the whole bucket of the icky liquid into the dumpster every time your shifts overlap. You don’t understand why he offers so much help to you.   Maybe he’s just an extremely nice guy.   “How about you?” You motion your head over to him. “Any people asking you grocery questions?”   “Yes.” He giggles and you can’t help but smile. “Many. At this point, I think I’m better at navigating the grocery section than some of the grocery people. Did you know rice pudding is next to the butter section? Who knew.”   You laugh with him, amused with all the times people ask him where things are and he has to navigate them through the grocery aisles that he doesn’t even know himself. Earlier you caught a senior citizen grasping at his arm instead of her walker, trying to find some almond powder. He flashed you one look and that’s all it took for you to start giggling while the customer in front of you thought you were absolutely insane.   “What time are you off?” You ask, dusting your hands off after finishing the sandwich and some of the pot pie.   “Six. You?”   “Six too. We can walk home together,” you note while standing, heading over to the fridge and freezer to take a peek. “Hey, want some ice cream?”   “What?” He looks at your mischievous expression when you turn around. “Sure. But does that belong to anyone?”   “No name.” You smirk to yourself, glancing at the front of the open box where there’s an absence of black marker labelling ‘do not eat’. “No name means a free for all. What flavour?”   “Any.”   You grab two at random, shutting the freezer door before tossing it to him. Jimin catches it one hand like a pro, putting on a smug expression when it was really due to luck and reflexes. You plop down in your seat again, peeling the wrapper open and discarding it.   Jimin watches as you eat and he backs up. “Wait. Hold on. You bite your ice-cream?”   “And you don’t?” You twist up your face as if you’re offended that he does something different.   “No, you monster.” His tongue pokes out, rubbing all over his cold treat which makes you scrunch your nose up in distaste. “It hurts my teeth too much.”   “It’s gross to lick it.”   “It’s weird to bite it,” the produce boy counters and you scoff. “What flavour do you have?”   “Vanilla. You?”   “Chocolate.” Jimin’s brow eyes light up in curiosity and his pupils flicker over to the treat in your hand. You can read him like an open book, already knowing what he wants before he asks. “Can I try?”

“Don’t lick it,” you respond immediately like it’s a reflex. But instead of placating you, the boy grins, his eyes crinkling into half moons, plump lips spreading into his chubby cheeks. He takes your hand, curling his fingers over yours and he pulls it closer to him, moving your entire body towards his direction. “Don’t! Jimin! Actually!”   But like the little shit that he is, his tongue rakes up the entire side of your ice-cream. He licks it with a laugh and pulls away. “It’s good.”   You narrow your eyes at him before leaning over faster than he can react. You bite the top half of his ice-cream off completely, and he cries out as fifty percent of his treat is devoured. You laugh evilly before screaming. Your brain freezes, aching painfully and it makes him hysterical.   Jimin folds in half, wheezing, as he watches you clutch your head in your other palm, gasping for air and yelling about how cold it is. Still, it was worth getting your revenge.