#genre!flangst

[these-written-reveries]

Crushed Hopes & Broken Promises

‣ Pairing: Keigo Takami (Hawks) x GN!Reader

‣ Summary: All hopes for your special dinner date with Keigo are crushed the moment he breaks his promise to you in favor of his workaholic tendencies.

‣ Genre: Flangst, Hurt/Comfort

‣ Warnings: Angst, crying, broken hearts, getting ditched during your date, Keigo is a workaholic, Keigo being a bit of an asshole, some mild references to spicy things.

‣ Word Count: 5,988

‣ A/N: I was prompted to write this after thinking about Keigo and how he'd likely struggle at times to be a great partner in a romantic relationship, due to his inexperience, trauma, and demanding job. The start of the relationship would be bumpy, for sure. But he'd always work hard to be better for his s/o, and that's what truly matters! Hope ya'll enjoy this piece!

Main Masterlist

A whistle carried through the grand living space of Hawk’s penthouse as you stepped into his line of sight. Leaning against a nearby wall with his hands in his pockets, he suddenly straightened his spine at the sight of you, his feathers twitching in excitement. His eyes scanned every inch of you, pleased at the sight of such a masterpiece walking his way.

“Baby bird…You look stunning.”

He could barely control the way his voice nearly bordered on a moan as he looked you up and down. You looked simply ravishing. How did he get so goddamn lucky?

“Are you tonight’s meal?”

You were certain you couldn’t be any more flustered as you shook your head. The way he was devouring you with his eyes, licking his lips like a starved animal, had your heart racing faster in your chest. He stalked towards you like you were his prey. The intensity in his eyes made you look away, only for him to firmly lift your chin up to meet his golden gaze once more.

“Would you like to be?”

His sultry tone, paired with the lustful look in his eyes made your knees wobble slightly. You could feel yourself nearly giving in, before you finally broke free from his trance, lightly smacking his hand away.

“Stop trying to seduce me right now, you siren!”

Keigo laughed, and your heart skipped a beat. “Can’t help it when you look so good, pretty bird. You sure you’re not the one trying to seduce me?”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “No…At least not yet.”

You smiled teasingly at him before pressing a kiss on his cheek. You were about to walk away when Keigo grabbed your wrist and pulled you back towards him.

“Uh-uh, baby bird. I’m not done with you yet.” He smirked before pulling you in for a kiss. It was passionate at first, but tapered into a tender finale before he pulled away, leaving you both a little breathless. He pressed his forehead against yours, staring into your eyes for a moment, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“I’m such a lucky bastard.”

This made you scoff slightly, causing Keigo’s brow to furrow a bit as he pulled back to look at you properly. “What?”

“You’re not the lucky one, Kei. I am,” you spoke with certainty. “That’s why I wanted to create this nice evening for you. To show you how grateful I am for you.”

Now it was Keigo’s turn to scoff. “First of all, you’re wrong. Second of all, you don’t have to do all of this just for that. You don’t owe me anything, baby.”

“It’s not just for that reason! It’s also because I lo- care about you so much and I want you to feel as special as you make me feel. I may not have the same means to be able to spoil you like you do me, but I can at least give you a nice homemade dinner and romantic evening!”

You seemed nervous as you spoke, causing Keigo to reach for your hand and bring it to his lips. A soft show of affection and reassurance as he smiled at you.

“The evening already couldn’t get any better. I’ve got my baby bird in my arms and a delicious smelling dinner awaiting us at the table. Can’t think of a better way to spend the evening.”

He always knew exactly what to say to set your nerves at ease. You had put a lot of effort into tonight, trying to make everything perfect for him. He had mentioned previously how he’d never had anyone else cook for him before, so you decided to put your all into making him the best homemade meal for tonight’s date. You weren’t the greatest cook, so you spent the last week testing out the recipes for each part of the special dinner at your place, tweaking things as you went so that you wouldn’t mess things up tonight. Somewhat conveniently, Keigo had been gone on a mission all week, so it gave you plenty of uninterrupted time alone to prepare, without running the risk of him sneaking in through your balcony, like he so loved to do, and ruining the surprise.

Both of you had been looking forward to tonight’s date all week. Keigo seemed even more giddy than you were, knowing that he’d left the plans to his dove this time, upon your insistence. When he realized what you had planned for him, his heart nearly burst with pure adoration for you. He knew you weren’t the best cook, so the act in and of itself was enough to make him want to shower you with kisses. He almost did just that, until you reminded him that the food would get cold if you both didn’t quickly change for dinner.

It took all his self-control not to race to his bedroom like an eager child, just so he could hurry back to you. Even still, he was out of his hero costume and into his outfit, that you so lovingly picked out for him, in record time. A simple white button-down with a sleek black blazer, slacks, and matching loafers. You even laid out some accessories for him too, such as one of his gold watches and a matching gold necklace with a low-hanging pendant. Were you hinting at him to wear his shirt partially unbuttoned? How cute.

Keigo beamed as you led him over to the dinner table, admiring the way you had carefully set the table. A vase of red roses, guarded by a few burning candles, sat just far enough aside that the two of you would still be able to clearly see one another from your seats across the table. Sparkling, gold-rimmed white china plates sat beside red cloth serviettes atop the silky white tablecloth. He watched as you took the pre-opened bottle of red wine and poured some into his crystal glass.

“Sit, angel. I’ve been keeping the food warm in the oven. I’ll be right back,” you said, giving him a peck on the cheek before heading to the kitchen.

He sat down with a sigh, smiling at the beautiful presentation that you clearly put so much effort into. Not even a single piece of silverware out of place.

When you came back, you filled his plate for him, followed by yours. You refused to let him lift a finger, raising a brow at him when he reached out in an attempt to help you place one of the bowls of food onto the table. He couldn’t help but smile at you as you sat down across from him, his eyes so full of soft gooey adoration for you, you couldn’t help but feel heat rush to your cheeks as you broke free from his gaze, opting to change the subject before he flustered you even further. The man had a talent for making you look like a head over heels fool, just from a single word or look from those pretty golden eyes. You were certain he already knew the full extent of how you felt about him. You simply couldn’t hide it from him, no matter how hard you tried.

So why were you still so nervous about confessing your love to him tonight?

“I hope the food is good. Worst case, I have the number for our favorite takeout place ready to go,” you said, looking at the food on your plate.

“Honestly, dove, I can already tell it’s going to taste amazing, simply by how good it looks and smells. I’m genuinely impressed. You did all this yourself?”

You nodded, once again feeling heat rise to your cheeks as you picked up your fork and motioned towards his plate of steaming food. “Don’t hype me up too much, you haven’t even tried it yet.”

Watching with bated breath as Keigo took the first bite, you found yourself simultaneously relieved and pleased at the moan he let out, closing his eyes as he chewed the food carefully, making sure to savor every molecule of flavor. When he swallowed, he opened his eyes to find you staring back at him, a small smirk on your face.

“That was either an Oscar-worthy performance, or you truly like the food. Can’t quite tell which it is right now,” you joked.

Keigo chuckled, a big smile taking over his face as he reached for your hand across the table. “I may be a great actor, but that was all authentic, baby bird. Truly, this is the most amazing meal I’ve ever had!”

“Okay, now you’re definitely lying-”

“Am not! I’m not even surprised. This was made by my amazing, incredible, gorgeous baby bird, after all.” He raised his other hand, pressing the tips of his fingers to his lips in a silly “chef’s kiss”, making you giggle. “And you dare say I’m not the lucky one, huh?”

He pressed a kiss to your knuckles, eyes locked with yours, until he caught something else in his periphery. He must’ve been too enamored by everything else before to notice the small square gift box sitting at the corner of the table.

“And what is that?” he asked, curiously, nodding towards the thin white and gold box.

You followed his eyes, and he felt your hand tighten it’s grip a little on his.

“That’s for after dinner,” you said, watching him lift a brow at you inquisitively.

“You didn’t spend a pretty penny on me, did you birdie?”

You shook your head. “It wasn’t too much, promise. More time and effort spent than anything else.”

His eyes softened once more. “I truly am getting spoiled tonight, aren’t I?”

Giggling, you brought his hand to your lips, causing pink to spread across his cheeks. “You deserve it, baby. Now, eat up!”

Just as the two of you began to dive into your meal, the familiar ring of Keigo’s phone interrupted the peaceful ambiance of the room. You instantly grew tense, as did Keigo. He had promised you that he wouldn’t be on call for hero work during your time together for the next few days. Not only had you missed each other dearly and were very much in need of some quality time together, but Keigo more than needed the rest after the strenuous mission he had just completed.

You silently hoped it was a spam caller or wrong number as Keigo pulled his phone out of his pocket. But your hopes were crushed when he gave you an apologetic glance, stepping out of the room to answer the call.

Sitting at your place in the dining room, you left your food untouched as you waited patiently for his return. Perhaps he was simply getting a call to report some new important information to him, potentially about the mission he just completed. Even if they were trying to call him to the front lines, you were certain he’d decline and refer some of his other employees to cover for his absence.

But as the minutes ticked by, you began to grow more worried. What was going on? Was there some kind of grand emergency that couldn’t be solved without his specific order? The silence of the room was starting to eat away at you and put you on edge. You glanced back towards the hallway leading to the bedroom, hoping that he’d walk back out with a smile on his face, the kind that always set you at ease, and take up his seat across from you once more to continue your long-awaited romantic evening together.

Just as you were about to stand up to check on him, the bedroom door opened, encouraging you to stay in your place as you waited for him to walk back into the room. You smiled as you heard his footsteps, only for your smile to instantly falter at the sight of him in his hero costume instead of his date attire. He didn’t have the comforting smile on his face you were expecting, but instead, the stoic look of Hawks as he walked past you to grab the coat he’d left draped over the couch earlier and put it on.

You stood and made your way over to him, the lump growing in your throat that you tried your best to mask as you spoke to him.

“What’s going on?”

“Some villain attack on a nearby building. Got a pesky quirk and I’m the closest, so they called me,” he explained, like he was giving a fellow employee the rundown, rather than his partner, who he was about to ditch at any moment.

“W-What about dinner?” was all you could say. Your eyes were starting to burn with tears now as he quickly moved towards the balcony door, you following behind him like a sad puppy.

“Save it as leftovers! I’ll finish it later,” he said, putting on his visor as he reached for the door handle. You reached for him.

“Kei-”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can!” he called out as he swiftly moved past the doorway. You opened your mouth to speak, but you were cut off by the whoosh of his wings lifting him off the ground and into the air. Wind blew your hair around as you stared at the sky, watching him quickly become smaller and smaller until he was out of sight.

You stood there in shock for a moment. You were somewhat used to Keigo leaving on a whim after being together for so many months, but you truly were not expecting him to leave tonight, nor were you expecting him to act so…distant. He didn’t even kiss you goodbye or apologize for leaving. You suddenly found yourself questioning whether Keigo was even enjoying the evening before he got the call. He certainly didn’t waste any time in leaving.

You shook these thoughts out of your head. He was simply doing his job. And that meant switching into his “hero headspace”. That was all it was. He was focused on the job, like usual. That’s what made him a great hero.

That’s also what makes him a not-so-great partner, you thought.

Cursing yourself for even thinking such a thing about him, you stormed off and sat at the dinner table once more. Keigo didn’t deserve to be thought of in such a way. He had been an absolute angel to you since the two of you met. While you had only been dating for just over four months, you had both grown so close already. Even despite the fact that things were a bit more complicated due to his work, you were truly happy with him. You wouldn’t trade him for the world.

You loved him. That’s what you were planning to tell him tonight.

That’s why your nerves had been all over the place all evening. You were ready to take things up a notch with him, starting with your confession and a special gift to show him what he means to you. It was a daunting thing for you, considering he hadn’t said those three words first. He was usually the one to take the initiative with most things, tell you what he wants, ask you on dates, say what he really thinks about you, spoil you to high heaven simply because he wanted to. Even when you tried to do the same, he always seemed to be a step ahead of you.

But this time, you were determined to be one step ahead of him. You had worked so hard to make every detail of this date perfect for him, to make him feel even an ounce of the way he made you feel every single day you spent together. You wanted to surprise him, in more ways than one. That’s why you bought the most gorgeous outfit you could find, styled yourself to perfection, spent all week preparing to make the best homemade meal you could muster, and spent weeks beforehand crafting a heartfelt gift for him to go along with your confession.

You just hoped you wouldn’t surprise him too much with the confession itself.

Once again, you hoped. Hoped that he would come home soon, so that you could resume your evening together. Hoped that he would kiss you and smile and reassure you that everything is fine and that he wouldn’t dare miss another second of this wonderful time with you. Hoped that once you told him how you really felt about him, he would return your feelings. Or, at the very least, not reject them and run away. Hoped that he would love your gift to him. That he’d cherish it forever, along with you by his side.

The hours ticked by, your food still untouched as you hoped.

By the time the third hour grew near, you stood from your sprawled out position on the couch, breaking your gaze away from the time shown on the lockscreen of your phone. The food had been put away, the dishes cleaned. You couldn’t bring yourself to clean up the rest of the décor on the dining table, in hopes that he might come back home and still wish to eat with you at the table.

By the fourth hour and no text back from Keigo, your hopes were completely crushed, along with the special evening you’d put so much effort into.

You trudged your way towards the dining table, lip quivering as you took off the necklace Keigo gave to you not long ago, made with one of his feathers so that he could always track you and keep an eye on you for safety purposes. Though, it was quite clear that the other predominant reason was that he wanted to feel close to you, even when you were apart. You loved the necklace, but you also knew that he could sense your crying if he were to tune in enough to hear it, and the last thing you wanted was to distract him during his work. Knowing that the dam behind your eyes was going to break at any moment now, you gently set the feather on the table, next to your unopened gift to him, and walked to his bedroom.

It was too late now, and you’d had a few glasses of wine, so there was no point leaving his place to head back to yours, especially since he was expecting you when he got back. You’d promised to spend the next few days with him, after all.

Your phone dinged. A text message from Keigo showed on your lockscreen. Sighing, you bit back your tears, hoping he’d tell you he was on his way home. At least then you could at least enjoy a little bit of time together before you went to bed that night. Get him some food. You were sure he was starving by now. You would be too, if you weren’t so sick with sadness and disappointment and the lack of him.

Birb Man❤️: Won’t be home till later, baby bird. Don’t wait up.

Maybe you wouldn’t wait up. Maybe you’d leave and go back to your place. Sleep in your own bed. You weren’t all that pleased with the idea of sleeping with him anyway after the way things turned out tonight.

That was a lie. You wanted nothing more than to feel the weight of his arms and wings wrapped around you, shielding you from the rest of the world and making you feel safe. While you were disappointed and upset with him, you were too weak to reject such a pleasure; something you had been missing for over a week now.

Even so, perhaps it would be best if you left?

No.

You’d stick to your promise, at least. Even if he didn’t stick to his.

You took one last look at yourself in the full-length mirror in the bedroom before finally bursting into a fit of tears. Sitting on the edge of the bed, you covered your face as you sobbed.

Eventually, you managed to get yourself to take apart the masterpiece that you had made yourself into for the night. Your hands trembled slightly as you took off your beautiful outfit, thinking about how you were previously looking forward to him being the one to get you out of these clothes. You took your jewelry off, tossing it onto the dresser without caring about how it all messily scattered across the polished wood.

Once you were out of your own clothes, you dug around for something to wear to bed, settling on one of Keigo’s t-shirts. You almost whimpered at the comforting smell of him filling your nose, that only seemed to upset you more, before making your way to the bathroom.

You could barely see yourself in the mirror through your blurry, tear-filled vision as you washed your face and sloppily brushed your teeth between sobs, not paying much attention to the accuracy of your brushing.

All you could think about was him, and how selfish you were for wanting him to yourself. But could you really be blamed for this? The outside world got more time with your boyfriend than you did. You were always so understanding of his job, his responsibilities, his goals. You supported him, endlessly. Even when it left you feeling unfulfilled and lonely. He always made up for it, of course. He spoiled you non-stop with his affection and luxurious dates and gifts when he did have time to spend with you. And you were grateful. So incredibly grateful for his efforts. You knew he was trying his best and that’s what made all of it worth it.

But this time was different. You made him explicitly promise you that he’d be all yours for the next few days, and he agreed. A few days, and he couldn’t even follow through with this one humble request.

Keigo was a workaholic. You knew this. But you had hoped he’d at least understand how important these few days were for you and your relationship, especially since you hadn’t seen much of each other lately.

Keigo had two talents. Taking your heart to new, brilliant heights and leaving your heart crushed on the ground after subsequentially being dropped from said heights.

Of course, you knew he didn’t mean to hurt you. You just wished he could be as committed to saving your heart from such a demise as he was the rest of the world.

But just like your hopes, you knew exactly where your wishes would end up tonight.

Splattered on the cold hard ground alongside you.

Keigo could barely hold the weight of his wings any longer as he entered through the balcony door of his penthouse, wings drooping behind him. He let out a sigh, relieved to finally be home. His mind instantly went to you, wondering if you had already gone to bed or not.

His feet began leading him to you before he could even tell them to move. His feathers were exhausted, just like the rest of him, yet somehow the thought of you filled him with enough energy to leave them slightly twitching with excitement. They always had a mind of their own when it came to you.

Except, instead of the bedroom, his feet stopped at the dining room table. Confused, he was about to turn around, blame it all on his heavy exhaustion, until he caught the red feather necklace in the corner of his eye. He reached for it, taking it in his hand as he felt a pang of anxiousness run through him. Normally, you only took it off for brief moments, such as to bathe. Did you forget to put it back on? Did something bad happen?

He instantly rushed towards the bedroom, feathers already slipping underneath the crack of the door and surrounding areas to proactively inspect the rooms for anything suspicious ahead of his arrival. He could immediately sense your presence. The steady sound of your heartbeat and breathing instantly setting him at ease. He called his feathers back to him as he reached for the handle of the bedroom door.

He smiled softly at the sight of you curled up in bed, your back facing the door. He carefully walked over to your side of the bed, willing his feathers to stop their excited rustling, so as not to wake you, as he knelt down to your level.

The smile on his face quickly fell as soon as he registered your puffy eyes and tear-stained pillow. His heart dropped just as suddenly, the ache in his chest spreading.

Reaching out his hand, he gently tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, fingertips grazing against your cheek and causing you to stir slightly in your sleep. His mind was racing as he tried to piece together why you had been crying. To his knowledge, there was nothing that would have made you this upset. Nothing, except…

Him.

A flashback of Keigo dedicating these days off to you, sealing the promise with a loving kiss, played in his mind. The way your eyes lit up with excitement made him feel so full of love for you. He silently swore to himself in that moment that he’d do anything to keep you this happy all the time.

Turns out, he couldn’t even keep his own promises to himself.

Keigo buried his face in his hands, his eyes burning as he suddenly felt the urge to burst into tears. He was so tired after the week’s mission. He wanted nothing more than to spend the next few days with you. You always helped him recharge and get back on his feet before his next inevitably exhausting shift or mission.

He was even more thrilled that you were so adamant on being in charge of the date this time around. He had been looking forward to it all week long. Being away from you was torture. All he wanted was to be with you again.

Now, the consequences of his actions were really setting in. You had put so much work into this evening. You probably thought he was a complete and utter asshole. The worst partner in the universe. He wouldn’t disagree with you on that.

Keigo was not the best at relationships. He barely had real friends, never mind any romantic partners, before you. He knew he had a tendency to put hero work above all else. You had pointed it out before but was always quick to drop the subject once he casually explained that it’s just part of his job. He assumed you understood. This was what life was like with him. He was the number two hero. Everyone expected so much out of him. And he had big goals. To create a society where heroes could rest easy. You seemed to be supportive of this.

Perhaps too supportive…

Keigo left the room, wings drooping even more than before as he trudged down the hallway. He regretted ever answering that call, for taking the job when he knew he’d much rather be with you, enjoying the perfect evening you put together for him. Everything was perfect. You were perfect. Everything he had ever dreamed of and more.

God, he didn’t deserve you.

As he stared down at the little square gift box in his hands, he felt thoroughly and utterly ashamed. He didn’t even think about his promise to you when he agreed to the job, about how much work you put into the evening, for him. He just shut down, switched into autopilot, into hero-mode. He was in such a rush to get it over with so he could come back home to you that he didn’t even kiss you goodbye. Not even a simple apology left his lips.

He’d really fucked up, big time.

He didn’t deserve you, nor did he deserve your gift, but he couldn’t help himself as he sat down on the couch and lifted the lid on the box to reveal its contents. There was a note obscuring the gift beneath it, his name sprawled across the paper in your pretty handwriting. He opened it, his eyes scanning over the inky text.

“Keigo,

I wanted to give you something special; to show you how much you mean to me. I know this isn’t enough to do just that. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to truly express to you how much I love you. But I hope you’ll like it anyway. Let it serve as a reminder that however near or far, you’ll always have my heart.

Love, Y/N”

You woke up after hearing the bedroom door click shut, your eyes starting to flutter open. Sleep still clouding your vision, you tried to scan the room, looking after your shoulder to find the room dark and empty. The bedside lamp had been turned off. Looking to Keigo’s side of the bed, you saw the feather necklace resting in his place.

Keigo must be home, you thought.

At first you were excited by this thought, until you remembered that you had just cried yourself to sleep because of him not too long ago. The emotional wound was still bleeding as you tried to pull yourself together enough to face him. You had to at least check to see if he was in one piece after tonight’s events.

Bare feet quietly padding on the heated hardwood floors, you made your way into the living area, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes as you looked around for any sign of the red-winged birdie.

A sniffle led you right to him. You froze, taking in the scene before you.

Keigo was sat on the couch, hunched forward as he looked at something in his trembling hands. Upon further inspection, you recognized it was the note and the necklace you made for him. Your gift to him.

“Do you like it?” you spoke quietly, though the silence of the room was so thick, it sounded louder than you had intended.

Keigo jumped slightly, turning his head to meet your eyes. How he didn’t hear you coming from a mile away was beyond you. You were never able to successfully sneak up on him. If the room wasn’t filled with so much emotional tension, you’d laugh and tease him about it.

Keigo looked back down at his hands, thumb running over the gold chain, though his eyes remained glued to the note itself. Three words stuck out to him, simultaneously making his heart race and filling him with a deep sadness. You noticed the object of his gaze, stepping closer as you nervously spoke.

“I wanted to tell you in person…Maybe it’s best that I didn’t." You whispered the last part to yourself, but of course, Keigo heard it too.

“What?” He glanced up at you, confused.

“Your crying Kei. You’re upset. You don’t like it, or you don’t share my feelings, or both. What is it?”

Keigo wiped his tears with the back of his hand, looking down in what appeared to be shame.

“It’s nothing like that, Y/N,” he spoke, barely above a whisper.

Your heart dropped. He never called you by your first name unless it was really serious. You began to fear the worst as he continued to speak.

“This is…you said you didn’t spend a lot.”

Oh. Is that why he was upset? More confused than ever, you decided to answer him, hoping he’d give you more information.

“I didn’t. A friend owed me a favor. They helped me make this for you at a low cost. It’s all real, though. The gemstones and everything.”

Keigo was quiet for a moment, looking at the intertwined heart pendants at the end of the necklace. You almost spoke again, just to break the silence, until he beat you to it.

“These are the color of your eyes,” he whispered, a small hint of a smile tugging at his lips that you didn't seem to catch as he lifted up the heart that was meant to represent you, admiring the gemstones embedded around it.

“Kei?”

“Hm?”

“Do you hate it?”

Keigo’s eyes snapped up to yours. Shaking his head aggressively, he reached out to you. The moment you latched onto his hand, he pulled you to sit beside him. Not letting go of your hand, he set the necklace down, along with the rest of the gift before turning to face you better.

“I love it. And I love you, baby bird. So much,” he said, voice wavering slightly as he seemed to become overcome with emotion again. Except this time, you could recognize it mostly as pure love and adoration for you, mixed with a sense of…sadness.

“Really?” you asked, a sense of relief washing over you, despite the overall uneasiness you still felt in the pit of your stomach. You weren’t used to seeing him so emotional. At least, not like this.

He nodded, placing his hands on either side of your face. “So fucking much. You have no idea. All of this…you…it’s everything I’ve always wanted and more.”

You looked at him warily. “Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?”

“There’s no ‘but’. But there is a ‘sorry’. I’m so sorry, dove. I’m an asshole and an idiot and a terrible mate. I-”

“You’re none of those things, Kei.” You may have still been hurt by what he did, but you weren’t going to stand for him talking down on himself like that.

“Yes, I am. I stormed out of here so fast after getting that call; a call I never should’ve taken. I left behind the most amazing mate in the world, dressed to the nines, a delicious homemade dinner, and one of the most special gifts in the world. You, being the most special gift of all. I took you and all of this for granted and I'm so sorry.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead before meeting your eyes again.

“I promise I'll do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't happen again. I know my promises don’t mean much after what I did tonight, but I am fully willing to accept the consequences if I fail you again, Y/N."

You didn’t realize you were crying until Keigo gently wiped away a few rogue tears with his thumbs. He was staring at you so intensely, so full of love and determination, devotion, for you. Your heart could barely take it.

“All is forgiven, so long as you stop calling me that,” you finally spoke, semi-lightheartedly, causing his brows to furrow, until he finally understood what you meant.

His signature smirk replaced his serious frown, though his glossy eyes remained soft as he leaned in closer until his lips were inches away from yours.

“What should I call you, then? Baby bird? Dove? Sweetheart? Lovebird?” he teased, knowing that the new nickname would get you all flustered and smiling again. He needed to see that smile again, more than anything. He needed to see his baby bird happy, because of him. No more tears, just smiles.

Thank goodness, it worked. He practically beamed at the sight of it, his feathers perking up and twitching with excitement once more. He couldn’t help himself as he dove in for a kiss, giving you all the passion his tired soul could muster in the moment. You deserved every ounce of love he could possibly give. Now that you seemed to have forgiven him, he was determined to set things right again.

This time, he wouldn’t let you fall and hit the ground. He’d save you, along with your hopes and dreams and promises. While he wasn’t the perfect partner, he would never stop striving to be everything you deserve and more.

His only hope was that you’d continue to allow him to fly you and your heart to even greater heights.

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[ruewrote]

𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑.

PAIRING: jj maybank x fem!reader WARNINGS: jj having a panic attack, reader worrying for jj GENRE: flangst. SONG INSPIRATION: beneath your beautiful by labrinth WORD COUNT: 718 REQUESTED: yes

navigation | ask | outer banks masterlist

you would say that jj was a very outgoing person, he always had a bright attitude toward everything. he'd been like ever since you were young.

whether it'd be with the way he held himself or how he talked to others, but deep down his insecurities dug deep.

the biggest one of all was looking like his mother, his dad made sure jj knew how much he hated him for it.

it started off with hurtful words that soon turned into cuts and bruises, it had only gotten worse as he grew up.

he'd wince and try and secretly hold his side when he fell a bit too dramatically onto you, not looking you in the eyes as he got up, changing the subject before you could even say anything about it.

you knew him. you knew something wasn't right.

weeks went by and you gave him every opportunity for him to tell you what was really going on, but got nothing in return.

tonight you were supposed to have your movie night, just like you did every friday after school since your parents were at work 'til late, but no. there you sat alone. the most recent message out of five going straight to delivered.

blowing out a defeated sigh, tired of waiting around. you started getting ready for bed, changing into a borrowed sweatshirt that was his and a pair of shorts, sliding under your bed covers.

your head full of worried thoughts as it pressed against your pillow, unlocking your phone for what felt like the hundredth time that evening still not finding any sign of a response.

closing your eyes deciding it was better to sleep early than to overthink.

an hour went by and you lay looking up at your ceiling wide awake, grunting as you chucked the pillow from under your head, over your face.

that's when your phone started to vibrate from beside you. shooting up from under the mountain of blankets, you clicked accept.

"y/n we need your help-- jj just got to the chateau and he's freaking the fuck out can you--?" kiera rambled, with that said you ran out of your house, jumped onto your bike, feet pedaling as fast as they could.

not caring about how the old metal chain was scrapping against your calves. just hoping that he was alright.

you heard the muffled but recognizable yells as you got closer, hearing things being thrown from the other side of the home as you leaned your bike up against the porch fencing.

"c'mon man, you gotta chill out!"

your hands clenched at your sides as you made your way into the house, seeing broken glass everywhere. the shouts getting louder as you carefully shuffled over the debris.

"jay?" that was all it took for everything to stop. a heavy silence hung over the chateau, jj slowly turned to you, his fists uncurled. letting his guard down since it was you.

gasping when you saw his bruised face, rushing over to him hands hovering over his cheeks, not wanting to hurt him. he hadn't made any effort of looking into your eyes, feeling too ashamed of himself. your thumb brushed against his chin, tilting his head toward you, that's when jj broke down.

jj's body slumped into yours, his shoulders shook as you held him, your arms wrapped tightly around him as you stroked the hair that you could reach. his fingers clenched the material of your clothing as he nuzzled his face deeper into the crook of your neck.

"i've got you, it's okay..."

you made eye contact with pope and john, giving them a sad smile and watching them leave you standing in the middle of the messy living room with the broken boy still in your arms.

it was later now and you were cuddled up under jj's arm, laying on his chest as a random movie played in the background. he fell asleep a long time ago, but you continued to trace shapes on his chest.

not being able to sleep, feeling heartbroken after finding out the truth about his dad. blaming yourself for not noticing sooner.

your eyes now filling with tears as you looked up to see how peaceful he looked as he slept. so carefree.

that night you made a promise to him and yourself that you'd protect jj no matter what. not realizing yourself falling even deeper for him.

© ruewrote.

[reiding-writing]

climacteric event masterlist

CLIMACTERIC [NOUN]

/klaɪˈmæktərɪk/

A critical period or event. (aka 1000 people deciding that my attempts at writing are good enough to follow me)

☆ main masterlist!! ⋆｡°✩ climacteric event page!! ☆

HURT/COMFORT

iron wall

30. “leave me alone.” “is that really what you want?”

reunion

22. "I think I missed you more than you missed me."

23. "I thought I'd lost you."

typanophobia (cold!reader)

4. “Will you hold my hand?”

breaking down (cold!reader) - continuation

spencer just wants to be there for you when you need him, but you get overwhelmed by his constant worrying and push him away, only to crawl right back into his embrace when you really need it.

scarecrows

1. “You’re bleeding.”

2. “You’re safe here, I promise.”

1. “You know that you’re my best friend, right?”

close call (cold!reader)

28. “I can’t believe I didn’t see that coming,”

23. “I thought I’d lost you.”

ANGST

jealousy

6. "Don't touch me."

fate

17. “This can only end one way.”

23. “Just a little longer.”

priorities

1. “Why don’t you ever listen to me?”

20. “I don’t know who you are anymore.”

FLUFF

a mutual secret

12. “You can’t tell anyone. Seriously. Even them.”

19. “I think about you all the time.”

crushed up

3. "Did you take your medication?”

eavesdrop

15. “You heard that?”

16. “I didn’t mean it.”

hometown (cold!reader)

15. “I can’t believe you remembered.”

takedown (cold!reader) - continuation

Spencer might be a know-it-all, but at least he actually knows the things that he talks about.

ETC.

pool 'party' (flangst)

1. "Okay, maybe I have a crush on you! So what?"

7. "I don't want anyone else."

handkerchief (what genre even is this?)

1. "You're bleeding.”

3. "They're so hot."

thank you to everyone who has sent requests in! <3

[magicshopaholic]

Past Lives (Hoseok x OC)

Summary: Faced with an ambiguous relationship from your past, you start to doubt your blossoming relationship with Hoseok.

Pairing: Hoseok x OC

Genre: I wish I could tell you what genre this is but let's go with contemplative flangst (fluff + angst)

Word count: 4.6 K

Rating: 18+

Warnings: mentions of parental death

A/N: A lot of OC focus in this one. Takes place about a month after Caterpillar, the same weekend as A Day in the Life.

Tagging: @bbl32 @quarter-life-crisis2 @meirkive  @faearchives @margopinkerton  @dreaming-with-happiness  @confessionsofamarshlily  @purpleseoul7 @sumzysworld @xjoonchildx @infinitehobi @handfullofcandids

Listen to: "it's hard to get around the wind" by alex turner

hoseok masterlist | main masterlist

Chaeyoung spots the restaurant across the street and checks the map on her phone to make sure it’s the right one. A notification pops up on the top of her screen at the same time.

Hoseok [12:40] This interview is taking a bit longer than expected. I’ll keep you posted. 

Her heart leaps lightly, unexpectedly. It’s not that she’s looking forward to hanging out with him exactly, but amidst the chaos of his tour, it’s the friendly thing to do to catch up with him during the few days he is in town.

Right below Hoseok’s message, though, is the one she’d gotten earlier today - unexpected, but unavoidable.

Hi, Chaeyoung! How are you, darling? I’m in Seoul for the weekend and I was hoping we could grab lunch if you’re free? I would love to see you. Let me know!

Hesitating for a fraction of a second outside the restaurant, she wonders if she can still fake an excuse and make a break for it. But then she sighs, knowing she won’t do that. Once, she might have - and she wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But the years have passed and Chaeyoung has grown, and while the past may not have escaped her mind entirely, her reaction to it certainly has.

Stepping in, she’s about to ask the hostess about a possible reservation but then spots a table for two at the far end next to a large window, already half-occupied. Taking a deep breath, she walks over, waving when her companion looks up and spots her.

“Chaeyoung!” Soyeon’s face lights up, the faint smile lines creasing around her eyes. She stands up and moves towards Chaeyoung as if about to give her a hug but hesitates at the last moment. Chaeyoung pauses as well, before leaning forward a bit and meeting her stepmother in a slightly awkward hug.

“This is a really nice restaurant,” remarks Soyeon as they sit down. “Especially these little menus on every table,” she adds, touching the framed cocktail menu with white waves around the edges, a little trinket hanging on the side with a string. “Good choice.”

“A friend told me about it,” says Chaeyoung, glancing out of the corner of her eye at her stepmother. In her late forties, she looks fresh out of a lifestyle magazine, her long summer dress modern but with a subtle bohemian print along the edges. Years ago, that kind of clothing used to make Chaeyoung fume, for it wasn’t what the rest of the mothers wore and Soyeon stood out like a sore thumb. Today, she can’t help but appreciate the originality, wondering if trends really had changed so much over the years. 

“Oh, before I forget -” Seoyeon rummages through her white tote bag and retrieves a clear box with gold tape around it. “Tim Tams. They restocked it at the Foodhall in the mall after ages.”

It takes all of Chaeyoung’s willpower to not lunge for the box. Hands trembling slightly, she takes it at a normal pace, exhaling at the sight of her favourite dessert in the whole wide world. “I - oh, my God. I haven’t had these in so long. I’d given up on ever having these again.” She bites her lip. “Thank you.”

Soyeon beams. “I haven’t seen them in a long time either but I had to go to the mall yesterday to buy a couple of things for the trip, so I thought I’d stop and check.” She shrugs, clearly relieved at Chaeyoung’s reaction. “Guess I got lucky.”

“I mean, I’m dieting right now but Tim Tams I can make an exception for.”

“Why -” Soyeon frowns but stops abruptly. “Well, as long as you enjoy them.” She smiles as Chaeyoung sets the box to the side. There’s a few seconds of silence; now that the initial bit of this lunch has gone without any major hiccups, the pressure to keep the delicate cordiality going is surfacing. A waiter appears and a couple of minutes are occupied while they order drinks (margarita for Soyeon, mojito for Chaeyoung), and then the silence returns.

Soyeon speaks first. “So… how’s work going?” She leans forward with her hands clasped under her chin. “Are you enjoying it?”

“Um, I guess.” Chaeyoung shrugs. “It was a bit daunting at first but I think I’m getting the hang of it.” Not sure how to elaborate further, she lets her eyes wander to the rest of the room. She was right: it is a nice restaurant, breezy and floral, with tons of natural light.

“Your brother mentioned you might have to start travelling a bit,” she says, as their drinks arrive. At that moment, Chaeyoung’s phone lights up on the table.

Hoseok [12:55] The blooper reel for this interview is going to be so embarrassing. Who serves drinks and then tells jokes?

“Cheers?”

“Oh -” Chaeyoung, who had been about to absently take a sip, sheepishly clinks her glass with Soeyon’s. “I don’t know. No one’s said anything yet. I did have to go to Busan last year to cover the arts festival but -” She shrugs. “Nothing since then.”

“You covered the arts festival? That’s amazing!”

“Well, not really covered,” she clarifies, not really wanting to get into something she’d been bemoaning for a while last year. But then she catches sight of Soyeon’s full attention on her and something loosens in her stomach. “I’m still just doing research. It’s not bad, but… you know what, it’s fine. Not everyone in Conde Nast who wants to become a columnist actually becomes one,” she mutters, taking another sip of her drink.

Soyeon nods sympathetically. “I understand. Everyone starts at the bottom but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get frustrating now and then. But don’t give up,” she adds after a moment. “You have the talent.”

Chaeyoung frowns. “For research?”

“For writing.” She gives her a look. “You used to always do so well in your Korean language class - oh, and you won that essay competition, too.”

Her memories stir. “That was… eighth grade,” she murmurs, touching the edge of her fork. “I think the quality of writing at Conde Nast is probably higher than that.” She glances up to see Soyeon nod and look away. “But… you’re right. I didn’t even remember that competition,” she admits.

Soyeon raises her eyebrows. “It was a beautiful essay. The one about the mother searching for her children after the tsunami? Drove me and your father to tears when we read it.”

“Really?” Chaeyoung frowns, a faint smile appearing on her face. “My dad?”

“Oh, yes. He pretended he didn’t but I saw him tear up.” She grins. “Everyone was very proud of you that day.”

Chaeyoung says nothing. It’s coming back to her now, the fact that her father couldn’t make it to the middle school award ceremony because he worked long hours back then. Soyeon had offered to come but Chaeyoung had immediately rebuffed that by claiming only babies brought their parents along to things like this. The only person who had been cheering for her in the audience was Chanyeol - and his best friend who had been begrudgingly dragged along.

As the waiter stops by again to take their food order, Chaeyoung sneaks a glance at her phone, hoping to see another message from Hoseok. But there isn’t one; pursing her lips, she locks the screen and places it next to her plate.

“So what else is going on with you?”

“Oh, um -“ Chaeyoung tears her eyes away from her phone. “Nothing, really. How’s my dad?” she asks after a moment.

“He’s okay. Getting a little restless after retirement, but he’s adjusting.” Soyeon gives her a small smile. “He really misses you two.”

Chaeyoung tries not to scoff. “Chanyeol, maybe.”

But Soyeon shakes her head. “You, too. He tells everyone that his daughter works for a big magazine in Seoul.”

“But his son works for a tech company in Busan. The saddest day of his life was the day my brother moved out,” she points out. She looks up to see Soyeon’s expression shift to resemble something like sympathy, and immediately changes the subject. “Do you talk to him often?”

“Chanyeol? Sometimes. I travel to Busan every few months so we catch up if he has the time.”

Chaeyoung frowns slightly, unsure of what kind of answer she was expecting. It was no secret that as kids, he got along with their stepmother much better than she did, making an effort to be polite to a grown-up. 

The food arrives then and Chaeyoung clings to a couple of minutes of silence as they dig into their plates of pasta. She wonders briefly why her brother hasn’t brought up Soyeon in their conversations if they indeed talk that often. 

“He told me about his new girlfriend,” says Soyeon, sprinkling some oregano on her plate. “She sounds great.”

“Hayoung? Yeah, they were in the same class in school. She, Chan, Hoseok - all of them. She’s nice.”

“What about you?” She raises her eyebrows with a smile. “Any special boys in your life?”

Ignoring the weak jolt of her heart, Chaeyoung shakes her head. “From high school? Not a single one. I don’t think boys started liking me like that until college.”

“Well, Chanyeol was quite protective of you,” says Soyeon in a matter-of-fact way. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the boys in school thought twice about messing with you.”

It’s not that it’s a surprise, really, but she feels a sudden rush of affection for her brother. She remembers the ice creams and the free use of all his toys and his generosity with pocket money, but maybe it extended further than that. Maybe, just maybe, her childhood idea of she and her brother being a team against the world wasn’t entirely in her head.

“He can get annoying sometimes, too,” she says nonchalantly, recolving to call him later tonight, just to chat. “He pesters me endlessly to download this app that’s supposed to track my spending and savings for me.”

Soyeon doesn’t say anything but the look in her eyes makes it clear she isn’t fooled by the blasé tone. “Would you excuse me for a moment? I’m just going to run to the ladies’ room.” She scoops up her phone and slides out of the chair, walking away as her dress flows behind her.

Chaeyoung picks up her phone. There isn’t a message from Hoseok yet, but she sends him one anyway.

Chaeyoung [13:30] Having one of the stranger afternoons of my life. I’ll tell you about it later. If you’re ever done with your interview, that is.

She sends both messages, hoping a second later that she isn’t coming across as desperate. She begins to panic but then a reply appears.

Hoseok [13:32] Can’t wait to hear all about it.

Her heart leaps as Soyeon returns, a faint citrus scent following her. “Sorry about that. What is it?” she asks.

“What is what?”

“You were smiling just now.” 

“Oh.” This isn’t a topic she wants to get into with anyone, least of all her stepmother. There’s the latent fear that whoever she talks to will automatically think she’s regressed into her obsessive teenage self, while the much more real fear is that it might just be true.

It’s not just you. He kissed you, too. He’s texting you, too. He wants to hang out with you, too.

The mantra repeats itself in her head, objective truths that make all the difference between their old dynamic and their new one.

“It’s nothing.”

Soyeon pauses but evidently lets it go. “Okay. Actually, there is something I wanted to talk to you about. It’s not really the kind of thing I wanted to say over the phone.” She licks her lips, looking slightly nervous.

“Okay,” says Chaeyoung slowly, setting down her phone and sitting back in her chair.

“Um… so, your father and I… well, we’re doing our estate planning. You know, working on our wills.”

“Why?” Chaeyoung asks sharply, hearing the sudden anxiety in her own voice. “What’s - what’s wrong with -”

“No, nothing!” Soyeon shakes her head immediately, holding up her hands. “Your father is fine. It’s just run of the mill stuff, you know. Just so we have all our affairs in order. Nothing is wrong,” she clarifies, waiting for Chaeyoung to nod before continuing. “So… he is, of course, dividing his assets between you and your brother, but since I don’t have children of my own…” She clears her throat, eyes flickering downward.

Chaeyoung says nothing. This conversation is taking an unexpected route and this is the last topic she wants to deal with today.

“Well… there are some things I own that I would’ve probably left to my daughter, if I had one. Jewellery and the like, things I got for my wedding - and I’m not saying you’re my daughter or that I’m your -” She clarifies quickly, and Chaeyoung nods again, wordlessly. “But… I would like to leave that to you, if you’re alright with it.”

Her phone lights up again, another message from Hoseok.

Hoseok [13:45] Fucking hell. There’s a road blocked on the way to the airport so I’ll have to leave earlier than planned. Filming might get pushed up but I’ll still try to make it. Letting you know just in case.

The disappointment in her stomach feels faint, like she’s imagining it - or hoping for it. Chaeyoung forces herself to respond in a steady voice.

“Um, I think you can leave your things to whoever you want. I don’t think you need to ask.”

Soyeon nods, and her eyes fall slightly. “I know,” she says softly. “But I want to ask. We aren’t very close and… I don’t want to presume anything.”

Chaeyoung bites her lip. Her chest feels uncomfortable, and she tries to work out which road on the way to the airport might be blocked. Why it would, today of all days, how much earlier Hoseok would have to leave to catch his flight, and what the odds might be of him actually meeting her at Sephora later today. 

“Chaeyoung?”

“I -” Chaeyoung clears her throat. “Of course, you can. Thank you.”

Soyeon raises her eyebrows for a moment, as though surprised at this quick response. “Oh. Okay. Wonderful. That’s - that’s really… thank you.” She smiles and reaches for her drink, taking a quick sip. “I should ask for some more ice. What about you? More ice?”

“Sure. And… I know we aren’t very close.” Chaeyoung looks down at her plate before forcing herself to meet her stepmother’s eyes. Her stepmother, who made sure that not a single birthday went by without wishes and a gift. “But that’s on me,” she mutters.  “You did your best.”

The waiter stops by and it seems to take Soyeon a moment to remember why she had called him. As she requests him for more ice and to clear their plates, Chaeyoung glances at her phone out of the corner of her eye and feels the knot in her chest loosen. Maybe the road will get unblocked by the evening. Maybe filming will end early, or maybe there won’t be traffic between Big Hit and Sephora.

“You know, you can leave jewellery to Chanyeol, too,” she half-jokes when they get their dessert menus. “He’s not bad at accessorising.”

Soyeon chuckles. “You might be right. I am planning to give him something, though.” She hesitates. “In a year or two, if everything looks like it’s going well… I was thinking of giving him my engagement ring. I’m hoping he’ll propose to Hayoung with it, if he wants.”

Chaeyoung raises her eyebrows. “Wow. That’s… wow, an engagement ring. Oppa’s growing old,” she remarks in wonder, making Soyeon laugh. “He and Hayoung make a good couple, though. I could see her as my sister-in-law.”

“Yes, but I want to ask him when the time is right.” She leans forward slightly. “Can it stay between you and me till then?”

Chaeyoung nods, somewhat endeared by the prospect. They order a tiramisu to share and return the menus, when another message pops up on her phone.

Hoseok [13:55] Interview just got done. Do you think you can meet me at Sephora in about an hour?

Chaeyoung grabs her phone and immediately types out a reply. “Sorry,” she mutters to Soyeon, hastily sending a Yeah, I’ll be there to him.

“No problem. Everything okay?”

“What?” She sets her phone down. “Yes, everything is… okay. It’s good.” But she can feel the smile starting to spread across her face, suddenly glad she had the foresight to bring the gift card with her to lunch.

“Yeah? Someone interesting been texting you all afternoon?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” she answers automatically. “I mean, not interesting, just… it’s Hoseok,” she admits lamely.

“Our Hoseok?” Soyeon looks both surprised yet somewhat knowing. “Chanyeol mentioned you two were friendly now, but are you…”

“Friends?” Chaeyoung guesses. “Yeah, I guess. We both live here and I guess we started hanging out last year…” She shrugs, trying to ignore the fluttering in her stomach. “It’s not a big deal. But, yeah… we’re friends.”

“That’s nice,” she says. But there’s that knowing look in her eye again, and Chaeyoung isn’t sure if it’s a guess or if she’s being that obvious. “You two kind of… clashed growing up.”

Chaeyoung rolls her eyes, grudgingly appreciating Soyeon’s attempt at being diplomatic. “That would be an understatement. But, yeah, I guess once I stopped being a creepy stalker and he got his head out of his ass… we actually get along pretty well.”

Soyeon waves her hand as the tiramisu arrives and they each grab a small silver spoon. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she says as they attack the dessert together. “You were a kid - and everybody that age wants validation from someone they look up to. You had a crush,” she tells her. “We’ve all been there.”

Chaeyoung knows it’s meant to be comforting, but it struggles to get through. What if I’m still there?

“Can I tell you a secret?” she blurts out. It suddenly occurs to her that there are two people at this table who lost their mothers when they were children. “You can’t tell anyone - especially not my brother.”

“Of course,” says Soyeon instantly. “Is everything okay?”

At this pivotal moment, Chaeyoung’s voice seems to give up on her. It’s happened before, the couple of times she’d been about to confide in Sooah before chickening out, for there was no guarantee anymore that she wouldn’t tell Jimin. Sunmi would be no help in general, her work friends weren’t close enough and had zero context, and Chanyeol was simply out of the question.

She clears her throat. “Hoseok and I… kissed,” she confesses before she can lose her nerve. She sees Soyeon’s face start to relax and hurriedly continues. “It was the night of my birthday. He came over, brought me a Sephora gift card and cupcakes… and we hung out. He offered to go skincare shopping with me and told me about his tour. And then right before he left… he kissed me. Or we - we kissed,” she finishes awkwardly, wishing she was less incoherent about this.

“Oh. So, are you two dating?”

“No,” she answers immediately, realising now that she was also possibly dreading an over-the-top reaction by Sooah, one that would make her want to crawl under her bed covers and never reappear. “No, we’re still friends. We haven’t really talked about it. He’s been abroad ever since. It’s… kind of confusing, that’s all.” When Soyeon doesn’t respond, Chaeyoung worries she may have overshared. “What?”

“Nothing…” Soyeon bites her lip. “I’m trying to decide between the advice I should give and the advice I actually want to.”

“The second one.”

“Okay, then.” She sets her spoon down, their half-eaten tiramisu abandoned between them. “I watched Hoseok grow up and while I love him like family… I would tell you to protect yourself.”

Chaeyoung pauses, not expecting this. “What’s the advice you should be giving?”

“You know…” Soyeon shrugs. “Follow your heart, tell him how you feel, don’t be ashamed of your feelings.” She purses her lips. “I’m not saying you should be ashamed of your feelings or that you shouldn’t follow your heart, but… maybe you want to see where this goes before confessing anything? He’s doing so well for himself and we’re all very proud, but I can’t imagine that that life would be a walk in the park to put up with. Just… don’t be in a hurry, especially if you’re not sure how he feels.” She pauses. “Or how you feel.”

There are too many grudging truths in this piece of advice. For the first time all day, she doesn’t immediately glance at her phone when it lights up with a message.

“Did I spoil your mood?” Soyeon asks as they’re heading out. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t my intention. I was just trying to -”

“No, I know.” Chaeyoung interrupts her. It’s raining now; the sunniness of the day has disappeared as though it never existed and they stand under the roof right outside the door of the restaurant. “You didn’t spoil anything. Maybe… maybe we’re just meant to be friends and nothing more.”

“Maybe. I’m not pretending like I know everything about your relationship with him. I know that he’s a good kid with a good heart, and so are you. And teenage reactions don’t mean much when you’re grown up.” Soyeon tilts her head and places a hand on Chaeyoung’s shoulder. “I’m not at all surprised that you two get along. And he would be incredibly lucky to be with you. But maybe I’m biased.”

They exchange a small smile. It feels a bit more real now: the kiss, the feelings, the fact that Jung Hoseok isn’t just a teenage fantasy anymore. 

“Thanks. That’s good advice. I could’ve used more of it over the years,” she adds. 

Soyeon averts her gaze for a moment before looking up again and smiling. “We have time,” she says. “I’m just a phone call away.”

Chaeyoung nods. One of the stranger afternoons of my life. “And thank you for the Tim Tams.”

Soyeon laughs. “Don’t worry. I bought a second box just for myself.” Chaeyoung grins as Soyeon’s phone pings and a cab pulls up in front of the restaurant. “How are you getting home?”

“Oh, I’m going to Sephora - er, the mall. I’ll take the bus,” she says, pointing at the bus stop across the street. “It’ll be here in a few minutes.”

Soyeon raises her eyebrows. “Alright. Text me when you reach. And… say hi to Hoseok for me.” Her eyes twinkle and without thinking, Chaeyoung steps forward and hugs her stepmother. Soyeon seems to freeze for a fraction of a second before hugging her back. “Take care of yourself, sweetheart,” she murmurs, stroking her hair. “And have fun at Sephora.” Stepping away and tucking a strand of hair behind Chaeyoung’s ear, Soyeon hurries out into the rain and into the waiting cab. 

Chaeyoung waves to her as she leaves, too many mixed feelings churning through her. But it’s lighter somehow and as she crosses the street in the rain, cringing slightly as her hair gets wet, she suddenly feels older and more capable.

There’s too much to unpack from this afternoon so she decides to keep it aside until she gets home. As she nears the mall, the city caught in an unseasonal shower, the only part of her lunch with Soyeon that seems impossible  compartmentalise is the bit about Hoseok.

He would be incredibly lucky to be with you. Part of her knows she’s jumping the gun; apart from the one kiss they shared and the innocent flirting at best, there has been nothing to indicate that they’re anything more than just good friends. 

But there’s the other part, the part where he’s been texting her whenever he can, joking around with her, moving his schedule around just to shop with her. She isn’t imagining it, but the more she has to convince herself of it, the less special is feels.

It’s still raining when she reaches the mall. Splashing through the small puddles in the pavilion, she hurries into the mall, the AC making her shiver.

“Shit,” she mutters, tugging her thin cotton shrug around her. She catches her reflection in a mirror by the door of a clothing store and groans inwardly; her long hair, painstakingly shampooed, conditioned and straightened this morning, is damp and wavy down her shoulders, strands sticking to her forehead. Her eyeliner seems to have smudged as well, making her look like a drowning raccoon.

Hoseok [14:30] Just reached. Where are you?

Chaeyoung sighs and glances back up at her reflection. Taking a selfie of herself scowling, she superimposes it on a dramatic graphic of a stormy sky and sends it to him.

Chaeyoung [14:32] [photo] Got caught in the rain. I look like a crack addict.

Hoseok [14:33] OMG You still look cute, haha. Very punk. Like, bubblegum punk.

Chaeyoung feels a smile spread across her face at the response. Looking back up at her reflection, she shakes out her damp hair so it falls tousled down her shoulder. A lot more confident than she was a few moments ago, she makes her way to the escalator.

Sephora is on the second floor of the mall, with all the other cosmetics and skincare stores. It’s the biggest one, though, looking shiny and expensive.

As she approaches the store, she spots Hoseok inside. He’s wearing a hoodie, a baseball cap and a mask, but Chaeyoung recognises him instantly. He’s standing a bit to the inside of the store, in a corner by the eye creams, rubbing his eyes and looking down at his phone.

At the exact same time that Chaeyoung’s heart flutters at the sight of him, a different part of her conversation with Soyeon resurfaces out of nowhere. She takes a step back so she’s behind a pillar; she’s sure he can’t spot her now. Opening the camera of her phone, she holds it up to her face to look at her reflection again.

It can’t be. A simple text from Hoseok can’t change her opinion in an instant, not this much. Is it true, though? Is she, after all these years, still looking for validation from him?

It’s a more humiliating thought than any memory of her childhood crush. Liking Hoseok all over again is something she can handle; wanting his validation, his approval - it’s a path she can’t go down again.

Chaeyoung lowers her phone to sneak a look at Hoseok again. He’s taken off his mask now. A few people seem to have recognised him, but his attention is on his phone, face pensive.

She realises she hasn’t replied to his last message. Her thumbs hover over the screen; it’s not her finest moment, but she knows she can’t do this until she’s had some time to reflect, alone.

Chaeyoung [14:38] I might need to take a raincheck, literally. It’s pouring and I can’t get a single cab. I’m sorry.

With a heavy heart and hoping she doesn’t regret this, she sends the text. Peering from behind the pillar, she watches as Hoseok gets the message. He stares at his phone for a few seconds, his shoulders falling, before visibly sighing and taking off his cap. He runs a hand through his dark hair and puts the cap back on.

Hoseok [14:39] Oh. That’s cool. Let me know when you get back home safe, okay?

Chaeyoung almost gives it up right then but when she sees Hoseok exiting the store, she immediately flattens herself behind the pillar. Taking great care to not be seen, she watches Hoseok go down the escalator and disappear into the crowd.

—

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to drop a review :)

[flippyspoon]

somebody was saying what's the difference between hurt/comfort and flangst a while back and i think flangst is lighter and hurt/comfort is a genre of angst unless you're just talking physical hurt.

but flangst isn't full throttle angst + fluff.

it's a subtle flavor of angst, just a dash. and a dollop of fluff.

it is delicate. a nuanced melange.

[harrydracompreg]

Rules Reminder and FAQ

Prompting for the 2024 HD MPREG Fest will open tomorrow around 8pm US CST!

banner art by @iero0

Before all the fun starts, please take a moment to review the rules and FAQs. There have been a few changes from last year.

If you missed the key dates post, you can check that out here.

What is the Harry/Draco MPREG Fest?

This is an anonymous prompt-based fest focused on mpreg and the relationship between Harry and Draco. Works forming part of this fest have three basic criteria— - Harry/Draco relationship is a must - Either Harry or Draco must get pregnant - They must not mainly identify as female while pregnant.

The change to the last criteria is explained in further detail here.

Communication

This year we must have a way of communicating with you outside of email. In previous years, we have spent time attempting to get in touch with participants only to be told things like 'Oh, I don't really check that email.'

Participants will be required to provide a direct messaging method (tumblr, discord, or livejournal) as an alternate communication channel. Email will still be our first method.

We will attempt to reach you twice and, in the event of emails or direct messages being ignored, we may withdraw your participation from the fest.

In general terms, we are requesting that you communicate your needs to us. A single-line email is generally sufficient. If you need an extension, ask for one. If you just aren't feeling it after signing up, tell us that you need to withdraw. We are here to help if we can. We will be sad to see you go, but you are welcome to participate again next time.

Prompting

All prompting will be done through AirTable. We will post the link to the form when prompts open on Monday 29 January 2024. Prompts will be displayed in a gallery, and are typically available live unless flagged for review.

You are more than welcome to leave prompts for this fest even if you don't intend to create for it.

You are welcome to claim your own prompt too! If you want to create for your own prompt, this will be indicated on the form. While the prompt may still display in the gallery, AirTable will preserve your anonymity. If you have any questions about this process, please ask.

When prompting, be mindful that this is a prompts fest and not a gifts exchange, so while the creators will stick as close to the prompt as possible, they are allowed their creative license. Try not to make the prompts overly detailed, and keep the dislikes/squicks list to a minimum.

You can submit up to ten (10) prompts, and we will allow anonymous prompting.

You may re-prompt from previous fests when the prompt in question was yours, was not selected in a previous fest, and is not actively prompted in another open fest. If you saw a prompt that you loved elsewhere and think it would make a great prompt for MPREG, ask the prompter if they'd consider posting it here or getting permission from them to post it for this fest.

Creating

This is an anonymous fest!

While you are working on your submission, please do not tell anyone other than your beta(s) about the specifics of your creation. During posting, you should not reply to any comments or cross-post your work to other platforms. Once the fest posting has concluded, all creators will be revealed and then you can respond to the comments and cross-post the work on other platforms.

All written entries must have a minimum word count of 2,000 words, and there is no maximum word count. Art works and podfics should demonstrate equivalent effort.

All ratings and creation genres are welcome. Romance, pwp, drama, humour, dark, flangst, fluff, hurt/comfort, family. If it fits the fest's guidelines and you can write it, draw it, or record it: we want it!

Submitted works must be unique to this fest. We ask that they not be part of an existing universe or a prequel or sequel to an existing story. Submitted works must be complete works—we will not accept WIPs (work-in-progress). You may not submit a work that you have previously posted.

Submissions

Closer to the submission date of 21 April 2024, we will make a detailed post on the finer points of submissions. For now, some basic details are provided below.

If you finish your creation early, you are most welcome to submit early. If we haven't made the submissions post by that time please contact the Mods via email or DM.

All works will be posted to AO3. You will upload your own submission to the AO3 collection. A header is required to ensure uniform details for each work are posted on tumblr and LiveJournal. We will offer a html-free header experience also via AirTable, and the details will be provided in the submissions post.

Written works and podfics must be beta-d. This is not negotiable. The Mods will proof-read and proof-listen to these entries, and reserve the right to return them to you with corrections if necessary. If you do not have a beta lined up, there are resources where you may find someone to assist you including the Drarry discord server. Please keep the anonymous nature of this fest in mind while discussing your beta requirements in open forums.

All works must include the appropriate HTML coding tags on AO3. If you are unsure what the HTML tags are or how to use them, please check phoenixacid's N00b's guide to HTML. All submissions shall be uploaded directly to the 2024 H/D MPREG Collection on AO3. It is strongly recommended that you double-check when you post to verify that your coding and spacing is correct.

Extensions and Withdrawals

Extensions to timeframes will be considered on an individual basis. We will check in with you periodically, and if you think you're going to need an extension, you should tell us as soon as possible. Giving the Mods an idea of how much time you think you'll need, as well as where you're currently up to will help us plan the posting schedule better and fit things in.

Communication goes a long way, and we like to think we're easy to work with. Please talk to us if you're having problems.

If you find yourself in the regrettable position that you have to withdraw from the fest, we'll be sad to see you go. Sometimes, real-life ruins the best of fandom intentions and there's very little we can do about that. Please send us an email or a DM before your submission deadline so we're not left waiting for something that isn't coming.

Something Else

In the event that you've got something else to ask, please direct your comments, concerns, inquiries, Howlers, compliments and the like to hdmpreg@gmail.com. You can also send us an ask on tumblr, or a DM, or reach out to us on the Drarry discord. Be patient—one of us will answer you.

If you haven't already, please follow us on tumblr, or join or watch us on Livejournal.

Let’s get amongst it,

sassy_cissa and timothysboxers H/D MPREG MODS

[lumosatnight]

Lani's Birthday Oneshots: 2023 Edition!

So, today is my birthday (SCREAMING!), and as a continuation of last year's tradition, I present a ONESHOT REC LIST to celebrate 🥳! Here are 15 oneshots, all under 10k words, one for each day in June leading up to my birthday. Lots of genres, lots of tropes, ordered by ship (kinda).

🌼 - fluff | 💔 - angst | 🔥 - smut | 👀 - mind the tags

—

1. Potter's Got a Tiny Dick (that I can't stop thinking about swallowing whole) by @vukovich [Draco/Harry, E, 4.1k] 🔥🤣 This is crack. Hilarious and filthy crack with bff Ginny, nasty car sex, and unhinged Draco wanting "Just a little nom of a cock."

2. Boy Wonder by @maesterchill [Draco/Harry/Ron, E, 6.1k] 🔥🎹 Established in love Rarry with Draco returned from abroad! Wonderful Ron characterization, witty snappy dialogue, and dacryphilia!!!

3. A Saving People Problem by @the-francakes [Draco/James, E, 5.9k] 🔥🏍️ Draco living at Grimmauld place, and James can't keep his eyes off of him. Oh heck yeah! Surprisingly sweet for such a hot cross-gen pairing. Also poor Harry lol.

4. Gray Eyes (Tell No Lies) by @danpuff-ao3 [Sirius/Draco, E, 3.7k] 🔥🍏 Draco with a lingerie kink! Sirius with a one-way magic mirror! So hot, so delectable. Throw in a praise kink too, and I'm drooling.

5. A Sight to Behold by @lumoslyra [Sirius/Luna, T, 2.5k] 🌼🥐 Luna and Sirius dancing around each other. Hermione watching it all and Harry is just confused. Super cute and sweet.

6. in rivulets, in waves by @dulosis [Bellatrix/Luna, M, 2.0k] 💔👀 Dark and deceptive. I couldn't put this fic down. What happens if Bellatrix survives the war? What if Luna takes her in?

7. Catch Me As I Fall by @this-world-of-beautiful-monsters [Bellatrix/Lily, T, 5.8k] 🌼💔 This fic is a wonderful AU of Lily befriending Bellatrix at Hogwarts. How she slowly changes, how she still is roped into the war. Just spectacular!

8. (give me) the first taste by @iamsiriuslyriddikulus [Narcissa/Lily, M, 4.4k] 💔🌿 Narcissa and Lily as hot moms smoking weed!!! Yes!! This Muggle AU is so well thought-out. The characters are so memorable. (Also I'm a sucker for flangst).

9. Love in a Hopeless Place by @dragonsandotters-dh [Remus/Narcissa, T, 4.6k] 💔🐺 So much hurt but also so much comfort. Draco gets bitten by Greyback. A heart-wrenching and hopeful look into the aftermath.

10. Male Bonding by musigneus [Remus/Severus, E, 9.8k] 🔥👀 This is angsty fuck-or-die to the max. Trapped in a cellar before the full moon. But it's SO GOOD and a somewhat hopeful ending.

11. Open a Vault For Me by Sevanna_OHera [Charity/Severus, M, 3.4k] 💔🧪 I found this pairing recently, and the angst level is off the charts. So much hope and longing in this fic and also a canon-compliant ending.

12. Table for One by @littlesixxwrites [Dean/Blaise, T, 3.2k] 🌼🎄 I LOVE THIS SHIP. Bean is the cutest. This fic has instantly smitten Blaise and equally enamored Dean. Lovely fluffy fic that made me squeal with happiness.

13. Maybe This Time (alternatively: once more, with feeling!) by @wanderingdonut [Regulus, G, 4.6k] 🤣👻 THIS FIC!! I died laughing from this fic, then I came back to life cackling and died all over again. Ghost Regulus is perfect. Snarky and entitled and wallowing in death lol.

14. toxicology by @batmansymbol [Hermione, G, 2.9k] 💔💌 A fascinating dive into the possible implication of Harry being a horcrux for so many years. I love how we view everything through Hermione's unreliable narration.

15. just a few sweaters by Prettything_uglylie [Molly, G, 2.4k] 🌼🧶 This story is a cup of hot cocoa in front of the fire. Warm and sweet and content. I adore it with my whole heart.

BONUS FIC (>10k): Tiny Dancer by @rainchance [Neville/Pansy, M, 12.4k] 🌼🩰 A super sweet Panville fic with ballet dancer Pansy and film student Neville. Wonderful background characters and mutual pining.

—

Want more fics to read?

Try my rec tag: #lumosinthelibrary

Bday Oneshots 2022, 22 Fic Recs 2022, WLW Library

[thepenultimateword]

Writer Intro

Hello, I’m thepenultimateword (the penultimate word) or Pen for short. I’m a twenty-something year old English Grad and writer. I’ve been writing for probably 15ish years, and I hope that once I finally get around to finishing the zillion WIPs in my brain I can someday get something published.

My favorite genres to write are sci-fi and fantasy, however, my most popular genre on Tumblr is Superhero fiction (or Supervillain fiction—I have an obsession for bad guys). Off Tumblr, I’m a novel writer, but on Tumblr I mostly write mini series, snippets, and prompts. This is also a SFW blog. The only thing that may come up now and then is gore and violence, but I try to content warn for that sort of thing.

Some things to expect from my blog:

Lots of romance. Sorry, I can’t help it, I do have some platonic stories, but I’m a sucker for romance plots even if I’m not in the habit of reading romance books.

Flangst (fluff + angst). I rarely end things angsty, but you better believe there’s gonna be angst in order to make that fluff super sweet and satisfying.

Long snippets. I have a habit of writing long, so most of my snippets are usually at least a couple thousand words. This is either a good thing or a bad thing for you depending on what type of reader you are, as well as how invested you are in my stories.

Arranged marriage, fake dating, enemies or rivals to lovers, strong woman x weaker guy, slow burn (These are among my favorite tropes).

Sometimes slow response to asks or continuations. As much as I love writing, I’m pretty slow because I’m meticulous. It usually takes me about 3 hours or so to write one snippet, which can delay me for several reasons.

That’s about all I can think of for now! But let me know if you have any questions! And check out my masterlist for my work! (It’s ordered from oldest to newest.)

P.s.

I’ve been on Tumblr for a little over a year now, so part of me felt like it was too late for an intro. But I never gave one when I first joined and new people are still finding my blog all the time, so why not, who’s stopping me?

[deathofacupid]

SHAY'S 100 FOLLOWER CELEBRATION!

you're invited! to celebrate 100 followers (small milestone, but it's still something), i'll write fics and blurbs that have hot men in them for you! scroll down to find this party's agenda...

this will take place from febuary 21st, 2024 to march 31, 2024!

THESE ARE ALL X READERS!

the guestlist! pick a character down below!

-tom holland + co (nathan drake, peter parker, arvin russel)

-zendaya + co (michelle jones)

-miscellaneous characters: bucky barnes, loki, steve rogers, stucky, tony stark, miles morales, doctor strange, peter quill, eddie brock

the menu! pick a something to go along with your character! make sure to pick a genre when you send in an ask (fluff, angst, flangst, could be a lil spicy but no nsfw!)

-character from a guestlist and a dialougue prompt from this list or this list... make sure to specify who's doing it!

-character from guestlist and an action prompt from this list or this list... make sure to specify who's doing it!

-character from the guestlist paired with an au... action/dialougue prompt is optional (venom!reader, blackcat!reader, cop!peter, actress/singer!reader, etc).

rules and regulations! just a few things to mention...

-no nsfw/smut!

-specify a genre (fluff, angst, flangst) please!

-when you send in a request, even more so for the au, please give a little summary!

-i mostly write for marvel characters, (aside from arvin russell and nathan drake) so if you send in one of those, you'll be more likely to get a better, longer fic. this includes michelle jones, peter parker, zendaya, tom holland, arvin russell, and bucky barnes, but you don't have to.

note from the author!

little late on the 100 follower... we're closer to 150 now! thank you to all the people that have liked, followed, and reblogged! also, i only write for fem!reader and gn!reader. when requesting, please pick one. keep in mind, my default is fem!reader. i try to stay inclusive for everyone, but if you want short!reader, tall!reader, or anything of the sort, please tell me!

ask to be added to the taglist, and check out my full masterlist here...

works from this event!

taglist @whatsupstark @ell0ra-br3kk3r @idli-dosa @susvale @kdbsr-h @littlemsbumblebee

[eveningspirit]

Fic stat game

YaY, Fun!

I was tagged by @echo-bleu . Thanks. :) Good to remember I used to write fic (when will muses be back from... writers' strike? (I mean. I support writers and actors who are striking, wholeheartedly)).

Okay. Rules: Give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the least words. Let's see...

Most hits:

This Unreachable Sunrise (unfinished) -- 911: Lonestar, Season 1 sort of AU

A story where TK's suicide attempt (and addiction) were a result of depression, rather than just plain addiction.

Second most kudos:

Denial -- 911: Lonestar, Season 1, 1x08 coda

TK isn't waking up and Carlos has a theory why it might be. It's not something Owen can easily accept as a possible explanation.

Third most comments:

Riddle -- Hawaii Five-0 AU

Steve was with his mother when she had the 'accident' and it left him damaged.

Or -- a story where Detective Williams has to solve the riddle that is Steve McGarrett

Fourth most bookmarks:

Is, again, Denial.

Fifth most words:

All the Lies You Find, All the Truth You See -- Black Sails. SilverFlint modern AU.

James McGraw, the famous painter, lost the love of his life three years ago in a traumatic event that resulted in severe agoraphobia. Now a young pizza delivery guy with dark curly hair and provocative attitude caught his attention.

Or -- a story where John and James try to outsmart each other.

The least words:

Damn Onion -- Hawaii Five-0

It's okay to cry when you're cutting onions.

A double drabble (exactly 200 words) written for a challenge: Genre: Flangst (combo of fluff and angst), Prompt: Knife

Tagging: @hithelleth and I'm not in any fandom right now, so I have no idea who still writes and what, so... If you like this meme, consider yourself tagged by me (and tag me back! I want to know what you peoples post)

[these-written-reveries]

Selfish (kiribaku ver.)

‣ Pairing: KiriBaku x GN!Reader

‣ Genre: Flangst, Hurt/Comfort

‣ Summary: Katsuki is convinced that you and Eijirou are in love with each other, but not him. He tries to do what he thinks is right by keeping his feelings suppressed and hidden from you, instead of trying to get between the happiness of the two people he loves the most. His plan quickly begins to fall apart the moment you confront him, and his selfish urges take over.

‣ Warnings: Angst, Katsuki being sad and having low self-esteem, false unrequited love, making out, Reader uses the “girl’s” elevator (but we can just pretend gender plays no part in the placement of the dorm rooms in this scenario), the word “fuck” is used a lot, repeated use of a "noose" metaphor? idk

‣ Word Count: 6,350

‣ A/N: This is more of a Katsuki-centric fic, with a bonus fluffy kiribaku blurb at the end!

There is a Katsuki x Reader version of this here, if you’re interested!

Main Masterlist

Katsuki Bakugou was a selfish man.

He had begrudgingly accepted this truth a long time ago. Despite how it appeared on the surface, he was quite self-aware. Sure, it didn’t require that much self-reflection to figure it out, considering he’d been told this very truth by others around him multiple times throughout his life—at least by the ones that were brave enough to do so—but that’s beside the point. He still came to be aware of it, one way or another.

He could remember the early days of his youth as a spoiled, entitled brat. Even before his quirk developed, he always poised himself as superior to others. He was as selfish as they came. Throwing fits when he didn’t get his way, hurting people around him to ease the raging storm of feelings that were too big for his tiny body, always stealing the spotlight from others, expecting praise and rewards for every little thing he did. Kids are inherently selfish, to some degree, but little Katsuki blew every kid in his grade out of the water, in this regard.

Things didn’t improve all that much as he grew older, but he did get a little better. At least he no longer threw tantrums over not getting ice cream after school or every time he was told “no.” And he no longer sought praise for merely breathing. He preferred to truly earn his title as “the best” at whatever he decided to do—even if that meant knocking some other kids down to get there faster. A minor improvement, but his selfish nature was still wildly out of control. Even when he did recognize it, he didn’t care enough to fix it. He was already seen as an asshole, what was the point in trying to change the minds of people he saw as below him?

It wasn’t until he broke free of his ass-kissing, follower friends and met you, Eijirou, and the other friends "extras" from UA that he finally began to really see and care about his selfish ways—especially how they affected the people he truly respected and cared about. Katsuki wasn’t devoid of a heart, despite what many people believed. He wasn’t incapable of feeling remorse for his actions and of learning how to be a better person. He just never had the proper tools or guidance to be able to grow into the person that he, deep down, wanted to be.

That, and he didn’t have the same motivation before as he suddenly did when you and Eijirou stepped into his life. You pushed him to be better, just by being yourselves. Katsuki was inspired by you from the moment he met you. The way you carried yourselves and the way you managed to handle him and all that came with being his friend. It only made him respect you more. And as he inevitably began to fall for you, he felt the desire to be a better person for you grow even stronger. He wanted to prove to you that he was worth keeping around, even if he wasn’t always “the best” at everything. The last thing he wanted was to lose you over his problematic ways.

To his luck, you and Eijirou were some of the most tolerant people he had ever met. That didn’t mean you never called him out on his shit, though. Katsuki deeply valued you for that. He had grown to be more open and accepting of critical feedback, specifically if it came from you and Eijirou. How could he become a great hero, never mind a great man, if he refused any and all feedback that wasn’t positive?

That said, it still wasn’t easy for him to so easily accept when he was wrong. And it was even more difficult for him to push past his pride enough to apologize for it. But all it took was one look from you or Eijirou to make him give in and do just that. How you managed to gain such power over him, he’d never understand. If he wasn’t so damn in love with you, he’d hate you for it.

He still hated you for it. But in a “fuck you for making me love you so much” kind of way.

If it wasn't for his internal commitment to be a better person—one that you could be proud to know—he would have given into his selfish urges, stolen your hearts, and marked his claim on them a long time ago.

Katsuki had quickly come to learn that being a good person sucks.

“Oh, Eiji texted. He said he’ll be here soon! I invited him. Figured you wouldn’t mind. He said he needs all the help he can get for this upcoming exam,” you said as you began typing a message back to him.

“Fucking hell.”

“Huh?”

You looked up at Katsuki after hearing him grumble something unintelligible under his breath. His eyes met yours for only a brief moment before he averted his gaze, gesturing to the open books in front of you.

“Nothing. Get back to studying! Do you wanna pass that exam, or what?”

You threw your head back as you groaned. “Can’t we just take a little break? Eiji’s not even here yet and we have so much time left to work on this!”

Katsuki pointed his pen at you. “You might have time, but I don’t. You’re lucky I’m even using my spare time to help you idiots with this!”

You rolled your eyes. “You wanted to study for this test too. And you’re the one always preaching about how it’s important to take breaks!”

Before he could respond, you shut your book and looked at him inquisitively.

“So…what were you thinking about before? You looked…more annoyed than usual. Am I annoying you?”

“What the hell do you mean? I don’t look like anything!”

He could see you trying to stifle a laugh, though behind it was a glint of concern in your eyes.

“You look like something is really bothering you, is all.”

“Yeah. You are! Shut up and get back to work,” he growled, though you felt no real malice behind it. You had quickly learned long ago not to take the hotheaded blonde’s rude attitude seriously, often times finding it to be more of a protective shield than anything else.

“Okay, whatever you say,” you said, holding your hands up defensively with a slightly amused smirk on your face. Katsuki huffed in response as he looked away.

Giggling at his strange, yet all too familiar behavior, you opened your textbook again, only to be distracted less than a minute later by another ding from your phone. Katsuki could already tell it was another text from Eijirou by the way you smiled at your screen when you read it. You only ever smiled like that when reading the redhead’s messages, much to Katsuki’s chagrin.

“Fuck you,” Katsuki thought as he stared at you from across the table, frustration and hurt bubbling within his chest.

The truth was, you had the strange ability to make his heart flutter and his stomach do flips and his hands sweaty and fill his brain with so many thoughts of you, it couldn’t focus on anything else. You did all this just by existing as your stupidly beautiful, perfect self.

You even made him feel this way when you looked your “worst”. Beaten up after a bad fight, sleep deprived with bags under your eyes, after—very ungracefully—shoving a giant serving of food into your mouth, just waking up with messy hair and crusty eyes and morning breath, sick with snot constantly leaking out of your nose. All of this and he was still head over heels, swooning over you like a fool. And dammit, did it piss him off.

Even worse, he knew you had feelings for your redheaded friend and not him. He couldn’t blame you for this. He also found himself feeling similarly towards Eijirou, as he did you. He was a damn lovable idiot. A good guy, all around. The kind of man Katsuki wished he could be more like.

He couldn’t blame Eijirou for loving you either. As far as Katsuki was concerned, how could anyone not fall for either of you?

Katsuki loved your entire personality -even the parts that frustrated him most. Especially those parts. On top of that, you were absolutely gorgeous. When he begrudgingly thought of you and Eijirou together, without him, he couldn’t deny that the two of you would make an amazing couple—looks-wise and personality-wise.

It infuriated him to no end. He wanted to hate you both, push you away, relocate somewhere far away so that he’d no longer have to bear the pain of seeing the two of you flirting together, holding hands, laughing at each other’s jokes, hugging one another, and inevitably doing all the things that couples do. All the things that Katsuki wanted so desperately to do with you both.

But he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried. There was no way he could bring himself to not only truly hate you, but to go on living life without you both. He would likely never admit it, but you had become so interwoven in his life and his heart, that an existence without you just seemed so bleak and empty.

So, as much as it pained him to sit through hangouts and study sessions and the like, all while bearing witness to how close, how touchy, how obviously in love, you and Eijirou were with one another and not him, he chose to stick around and keep his mouth shut. He made a solemn promise to himself not to utter a word about his feelings to either of you, ever.

For once, he saw exactly what he wanted, right in front of him, and he chose not to take it. He chose not to ruin whatever closeness he did have with the two of you. But more importantly, he chose not to ruin you and Eijirou’s chances at finding the happiness that you both deserved, far more than he did.

It was the most selfless thing he’d ever done. And it was the hardest thing he’d ever done too. He felt his heart break every time he saw the affectionate way you treated one another, but he bit his tongue. He tried to shove his feelings down deeper and deeper, but they kept coming back up, tightening around his throat like a noose until he choked.

The truth became quite apparent to him at one point. Loving you both from afar would be his undoing. And maybe he deserved it? Maybe this was his punishment for being an asshole and tearing others down for his own benefit for all those years.

He’d take his punishment. Just so long as he could continue to know you, even if he wanted to know you so much more.

God, he fucking loved hated you.

After the previous day’s study session, Katsuki needed a break from the two of you. He planned to spend most of the day training and holed up in his dorm, just to avoid you both as much as possible; to set his mind straight and get his feelings back where they belonged—locked away in a dark unlabeled box in his mind, along with all of his other unwanted thoughts and feelings. He was starting to lose his composure around you, and when that happened, he always tried to stay out of your way for a few days until he was “fine” again.

“Fine” had lost all its meaning months ago, and yet, he found himself saying it all too often.

“You okay, Kats? You’re not really on your A game today,” you said as you walked over to help him off the ground for the second time that day.

Katsuki scoffed, a low growl brewing in his throat as he spoke. “I’m fuckin’ fine. Wasn’t planning on having you idiots around, distracting me.”

You and Eijirou seemed to have the same idea about working out and training that day. Katsuki ran into you both on his way to the gym. Almost turned around and booked it back to the dorms, but you happened to see him and waved him over to join you. Both of you smiled happily as you greeted him. It pissed him off so much, but he couldn’t say no to you when you both looked so damn cute, asking him to join you with those sharp teeth and pretty eyes sparkling as you looked up at him.

He wanted to curse you both out. Tell you to fuck off and leave him alone.

Get out of his fucking head, already! Stop torturing him with those fucking adorable smiles that made his heart clench in his chest! Stop being so fucking nice to him!

But he bit his tongue, salvaged whatever little composure and willpower he had left, and joined you both to train.

And he fucking sucked the whole time. It only added to his inner turmoil even more. He was too distracted. Too focused on you and Eijirou and the way you both looked so fucking good when you were focused, when you had sweat dripping down your skin, when you were looking at him with those determined eyes while sparring, when you didn’t hold back against him.

At least the two of you were more focused on him than each other, at the moment. Katsuki had insisted that you both took turns going against him until he kicked both of your asses. He was on round three, at this point. He had lost to you both a total of three times in a row.

He knew that you and Eijirou were starting to question his strange behavior lately. He practically stormed out of his own dorm the day prior during your study session together. He didn’t say a word. Just got up and left.

Why?

Because you and Eijirou. That’s why.

When he came back, things were awkward as the two of you tried to ask him about it. He didn’t look at either of you when he told you to leave, not wanting you to see his red, glossy eyes.

It was embarrassing, to feel this weak.

Eijirou knocked on his door later that evening to talk to him. He didn’t answer.

Now the two of you were obviously trying to pretend that everything was normal, for his sake, trying to gently coax whatever was bothering him out of his system in hopes that he’d come around and get out of whatever shitty headspace he was in. You were being good friends, like usual. Always so attentive and thoughtful and caring.

He wanted to scream.

This time, he managed to defeat Eijirou, but he could tell his moves were slightly slower. He was going fucking easy on him. The redhead giving him a pity win only managed to send Katsuki over the edge.

By the time it was your turn, he wasn’t even fully present in his body anymore. All he was focused on was winning one round. Just one solid win was all he needed.

He moved on autopilot, blocking and countering all your attacks swiftly as they came. Thankfully, you weren’t holding back. For a moment, he felt like he was finally winning at something. The suffocating feelings began to dissipate as the adrenaline high began to kick in, filling him with a sense of power and control.

Until you called for a pause.

“What the fuck! Why?!” he barked, smoke wafting off of his hot hands.

Eijirou held a hand out at him, signaling him to back off as he ran towards you. “Chill the fuck out man, they're hurt!”

“Huh?”

It was only then that he realized you were holding your weight on one leg, struggling to keep yourself balanced as you tried to stand on your own. Eijirou was quick to catch you before you fell.

You had an ugly burn on your leg from one of his explosions. He thought he had released it far enough away from you to dodge it. He was clearly wrong.

Katsuki’s head was fuzzy as he stared at you, frozen in place. Eijirou inspected your wound, offering you sweet words of comfort and praise as he carefully wrapped it with gauze.

Damn it.

Katsuki could barely breathe now. The noose growing tight around his throat again.

“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you to Recovery Girl.” Eijirou lifted you up into his arms with ease, carrying you out of sight.

Your little whimper of pain shot straight through his heart.

Fuck.

“Come on, Katsuki!” Eijirou called out to him, slight urgency in his voice.

Katsuki remained frozen where he stood, hands clenched and chest heaving as he tried to fight back the tears that were building in his eyes. A million thoughts and feelings swirled inside of him, threatening to burst through the seams of his being.

“Kats?” Your voice sounded distant. It echoed in the background of his mind before it fully reached him.

“Go on without me,” was all he could say. He cringed at the way his voice wavered when he said it.

“Come on, man. You should-”

“Go!” Katsuki yelled, interrupting Eijirou’s attempt to change his mind.

All he heard after that was the sound of Eijirou’s footsteps as they faded away.

You and Eijirou had tried to reach out to Katsuki for four days. He somehow managed to avoid the two of you at every turn. He mostly stayed locked up in his dorm when school wasn’t in session. All calls went to voicemail. All texts left on read.

The two of you even went as far as to try to get Sero or Mina to check in on him. Denki offered to give it a shot, but you declined. You both knew he’d probably only aggravate him more, despite his best intentions.

Every plan of yours failed.

At one point, you couldn’t take it anymore and ended up crying to sleep in Eijirou’s arms one night. He shed a few tears himself as he tried to soothe your sadness and worry; all the while, he was struggling just as much.

You both missed your best friend. And despite your reassuring comments to each other that he would come back soon, that he just needed some space, you were both starting to crumble under the fear that maybe he wouldn’t. He had been acting strange lately, even before the most recent event occurred.

What if you had upset him? What if he was tired of being your friend? What if you were holding him back somehow?

Your thoughts spun in circles in your mind until you began to feel dizzy and sick to your stomach. After tossing and turning for hours that night, you headed down to the kitchen to make yourself some tea in hopes that it’d finally help you quiet your mind enough to allow you to get some much-needed sleep.

Thankfully, it did, because by the time Katsuki walked into the room to get some water after he couldn’t sleep, you were passed out with your head on the table, your hair sprawled out messily around you and your half-empty mug of cold tea.

You looked beautiful.

“Fuck you,” Katsuki cursed you in his head as he stared down at your hunched over, sleeping form.

The common room was so quiet this late at night, he could clearly hear your little breaths with every rise and fall of your chest. He spotted drool slightly dripping out of one side of your parted lips.

The sight made his heart flutter.

On your feet, he spotted those cute fluffy bunny slippers that him and Eijirou picked out for you one day at the mall. He remembered that day with fondness, how you all worked together in teams to find a pair of slippers for each other. In the end, Eijriou was happy to receive shark slippers and Katsuki was surprised with Grumpy Cat slippers. He could still hear both of your laughs as you made a comment about how his face matched his slippers perfectly.

Dammit, he missed your laughs so much.

He huffed in a mixture of sadness and frustration as he turned to walk away, only to stop himself in his tracks after a few steps. He took one look back at you over his shoulder before sighing in defeat.

Walking closer, he worked up the courage to wake you and subsequently face you for the first time in four days. What came out was much more aggressive than he intended.

“Oi!”

You jumped and his heart clenched slightly. He bit the inside of his cheek as you looked up at him, sleepy and confused.

“Ka’ski?” your sweet voice, thick with sleep, filled his ears. He clenched his fists, the bitter taste of blood filling his mouth.

“Go to your dorm. You’re gonna end up with a fucked up neck and back sleeping like that, idiot.”

He began to walk away after that, heading towards the elevator at the end of the room. He didn’t get far, though. The unpleasant screech of a chair on the hard floor, followed by the far more pleasant feeling of your hand wrapped around his wrist stopped him right in his tracks.

“Wait!”

“Go to bed, Y/N,” Katsuki warned. The last thing he wanted was to have whatever conversation you were attempting to start with him.

“No. I can’t sleep, anyway. I just keep worrying about you. Please. Just tell me what’s wrong and what I can do to fix it,” you implored.

Katsuki was tense under your grip, but he didn’t try to pull away, even as he let out a loud huff of frustration.

“Just fuck off, okay? There’s nothing you can do.”

You stared at the back of his head with so much pain and sadness in your eyes. Katsuki could feel your gaze on him. He knew better than to look back at you. That look alone would break his heart more than anything else could.

“I won’t ever stop trying, Katsuki. And neither will Eiji. We care about you so much. We miss you so badly. Please, just talk to me. If not me, then Eiji.” Your voice was starting to waver slightly as you spoke. Katsuki hated himself for being the reason behind your sadness and tears.

Even still, he couldn’t let you in on this. Neither you, nor Eijirou, could know. He just needed more time to sort out his feelings and lock them away, where they belonged. But after four days, he was still struggling to get himself back in order. All of it was starting to consume him, distract him, make him perform badly as a student and a hero in training. That part only encouraged him to avoid the two of you even more. He wasn’t going to let stupid feelings ruin everything he had worked so hard for.

His silence only pushed you to speak again.

“Katsuki?”

“No.” He pulled away from your grip, but you reached out to grab him again.

“Katsuki, please!”

He spun around to face you, eyes brimming with tears as he yelled in your face.

“What?! You just can't leave shit alone, can you?! Just fuck off, already!”

You looked at him with heartbroken eyes, biting your lower lip to suppress its quivering as tears began to fall down your face.

Fuck.

Katsuki inhaled sharply as his broken and battered heart shattered to pieces in his chest. Both of you were silent as you stared at one another, unsure of how to progress the conversation without breaking into a fit of tears.

“Fuck, I’m…I’m sorry,” Katsuki mumbled, voice just audible as he looked down at the ground between you. “Just leave me alone, okay? You and Ei are better off without me, anyway.”

He pulled away from your grip and this time, you didn’t reach for him again. However, your voice still followed him as he walked further away from you.

“How could you say that? You mean the world to us, Kats! We’re fucking lost without you! We need you. If this is about the other day, just forget about it. I’m fine. All is forgiven-”

“It’s not just about that.” He stopped in his tracks once more, back facing you.

“Then what is it about? Are you mad at me or Eijirou?”

Katsuki shook his head. Your confusion and desperation drew you closer to him. His feet remained glued to the floor.

“You’re not mad?”

“I-“ Katsuki stopped himself. “Just fuck off, Y/N. I’m not going to talk about it.”

“Why not?”

“Because!”

“Katsuki!”

"BECAUSE I- ugh!" he growled, "because it would be selfish of me to tell you! It’d only make things worse! I'm trying to be...fucking better than that."

You opened your mouth to speak, but he continued.

“It was selfish of me to stick around as long as I did. I should’ve just left the two of you be a long time ago. I thought I could-” He sighed. “Never mind. Point is, it’s gone too far. You even got hurt because of my stupid bullshit.”

“What has gone too far? Katsuki, stop talking like this. You’re not going anywhere. Let’s go wake Eiji and we’ll talk this out.” There was a clear presence of fear in your tone as you reached out to grab his left hand that was clenched in a tight fist at his side.

He ripped himself away from you. “No. This conversation is over.”

The way he spoke, his voice quiet, lacking any of his usual attitude, made your stomach twist in knots. He sounded so sad, so weak, completely defeated. It was completely unlike him, and it scared the shit out of you.

“I give you full permission to be selfish! Just fucking look at me! Tell me what’s wrong!” you begged.

At this point, you were seconds away from getting on your knees just to get his attention, or at the very least, pity. You couldn’t let him walk out of this room. You knew the chances of getting him to open up to you again after this were slim to none. This was it. You had to fight harder; show him you weren’t giving up on him, no matter how hard he pushed you away.

Katsuki was silent, but you could see the way his hands trembled at his sides; his head hung low, his chest heaving. You waited with bated breath behind him, praying he wouldn’t walk away.

Surprisingly, after what felt like a millennium, he turned to face you, his head still facing the floor.

You were scared to make the wrong move, as if you were faced with a small, wounded animal that could scurry off if you so much as breathed the wrong way.

“Kats?” you whispered softly. “It’s okay.”

He shook his head. “No. It’s not.”

“Why do you say that? Katsuki, look at me.” You stepped forward and raised your hand, gently lifting his chin up so you could finally meet his eyes. What you saw broke your heart.

Red eyes glossed over with tears, lower lip quivering as he tried and failed to stifle the emotions that seemed to overtake him. Your eyes only filled with more tears of your own as you stared back at him sadly.

“I don’t want to see you happy without me,” he whispered, breaking the silence between the two of you.

Your brow furrowed in confusion. “What?”

“I want to be the reason you are happy. I want to give you everything you deserve and more. Both of you.”

“Katsuki…You do make us happy. If anything, we are the least happy when you’re not around,” you said, fingers tracing down his wrist and giving his hand a small squeeze once he allowed you to grasp it. He only seemed to grow more upset at this as he looked down at your interlocked hands.

“But you don’t want me, you want each other.”

“What are you talking about? Of course, we wa-” You froze as realization hit you. “Wait…”

Katsuki made a tsk sound. "Looks like you finally got it. Took you long enough."

You blinked at him. "I- Kats, if you have something to tell me, you better say it now."

"I think you know. Why don't you tell me?"

He was too scared to say it and you knew it.

"Katsuki-"

"Tell me."

You sighed, suddenly growing nervous as you began to second-guess if what you were about to say was actually correct. Katsuki's hold on your hand grew tighter as he awaited your answer. If he wasn't so focused on what you were about to say, he'd be embarrassed about the growing dampness between your palms.

"I...do you....do you have...feelings....for me and Eiji?"

Katsuki’s silence was all the confirmation you needed. You let out a breath of relief.

“Kats-”

“Do you?” he asked, before clarifying. “Have feelings for me? If the answer is ‘no’, say it now and we’ll never speak about it again.”

You stepped closer to him, slippers touching his as you looked at him with soft eyes.

"What if the answer is ‘yes’?" you whispered.

For a moment, you both exchanged glances between eyes and lips, your hearts racing as you awaited the other’s move.

Finally, Katsuki spoke.

"Do I still have permission to be selfish?"

You nodded, and before you knew it, his hands were on either side of your face, and his lips were crashing against yours.

He pushed you against the nearby wall, never breaking his lips from yours, as he kissed you hungrily, desperately, lovingly. You ran your fingernails up the nape of his neck, weaving your fingers through his messy blond locks and earning a groan from him as he pulled you closer by your hips and deepened the kiss even more.

By the time he came up for air, you were both panting heavily. His grip on your hips didn’t loosen and neither did yours around his neck as you stared at each other speechlessly.

After a moment, your lips formed into a smile.

“We’ve been wanting to tell you,” you confessed.

Katsuki’s soft smile quickly faded into a bewildered frown. “Hah?”

“Eijirou and I, we want you, Katsuki. As far more than a friend.”

Katsuki visibly stopped breathing for a brief moment. You nervously continued to speak.

“But there’s no pressure or anything! We just wanted to talk to you about how we feel, not just for each other, but for you. Every time we’d try, you stormed off, or were clearly out of it, so we were too nervous to bring it up.”

“How long?”

Now it was your turn to look confused.

“What?”

“How long have you and Eijirou been talking about this?”

“Well, we confessed to each other almost two weeks ago-”

“Two weeks?! Fuck you!” he cursed.

You gasped. “Hey! Watch it, mister!”

“Fuck you for ruining my life by making me love you so goddamn much! And fuck both of you for not telling me sooner and letting me suffer! Do you have any idea how painful it has been watching the two of you idiots and your stupid cutesy, touchy, flirty bullshit, every single day?” he ranted, obviously frustrated, but not truly directed at you.

“Aw, Kats…We didn’t realize-”

“’Course you didn’t! You were too wrapped up in each other! I always thought you’d never return my feelings because it was obvious you two were obsessed with each other.”

This time, he sounded sad. You cupped his face with your hands, gently running your thumbs over his soft cheeks.

“We have always been obsessed with you too, Kats. It’s not that we didn’t want to be that way with you too. We were just never quite sure about your feelings for us and we didn’t want to cross any lines or make you uncomfortable,” you explained.

He let out a sigh, eyes closing as he relaxed into your touch.

“We should talk with Ei tomorrow,” you said.

He nodded in agreement, soaking up the feeling of your touch; something he had dreamed of and desperately craved for so long. Finally, his dreams were coming true. He was melting between the palms of your hands, and he couldn't have been happier about it.

Now that he'd had a taste, he'd be damned if he were to ever let you go.

“You’re mine now. Got it?” he said, his hands slightly squeezing your hips as he looked into your eyes.

You smirked amusingly at him. “Woah there, don’t get too selfish now. You gotta share.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. I don't mind sharing. So long as it's with Shitty Hair, I can manage. That doesn’t mean you’re not mine, though!”

You giggled, pulling him in for another kiss, to which he happily obliged. This time, he kissed you back tenderly, savoring every second of your soft lips on his. You melted into him completely, allowing him to pull you even closer against him, his strong arms keeping you locked in place.

You placed a hand on his chest at one point, signaling that you needed air. He grunted before reluctantly pulling away.

He pressed his forehead against yours, smirking at the way you grew visibly flustered under his intensely loving gaze.

“It’s late. W-We should get to bed.”

He hummed in response. “Fine.”

Taking your hand, he walked you over to the elevator across the room, both of you still silently processing all that had just happened until you finally reached the large metal doorway.

You stepped inside the elevator, bidding him goodnight.

“Night,” he said, turning around and beginning to walk away.

His feet came to a halt when he felt a sudden, familiar urge take over him, and this time, he didn’t fight it. Before he knew it, he had his arm between the metal doors, forcing them to reopen.

“Kats-”

He interrupted you by crashing his lips against yours once more, cradling your face in his hands as he kissed you with everything he had. Every skipped beat of his heart, every pang in his stomach, every moment of longing, every loving thought he’d ever had of you flashed through his mind. For once, he wasn’t concerned about ruining anything, of hurting anyone, of losing you. All he cared about was satisfying the insufferable itch of longing and desire he’d carried for you all this time.

Finally, the noose was gone, the bad feelings dissipating while the others became one with his being. He could breathe again.

When he pulled away, he was smiling. He was happy.

And you were too. Happy because of him. Happy with him.

“You should be selfish more often,” you said, still trying to catch your breath.

Katsuki stopped the doors from closing in on him, his eyes still locked on you as he let out a chuckle.

“That’s a first. Be careful what you wish for, sweetheart.”

He backed out of the elevator, finally allowing the doors to close. You stared at him as heat rushed to your face, capturing a glimpse of his growing smirk until he was no longer in sight.

Katsuki Bakugou was a selfish man.

And oh, did you love every bit of him.

*The next day*

"Mannn...I can't believe you guys kissed for the first time and I wasn't even there for it!" Eijirou whined, an adorable pout on his face as he looked between the two of you.

"Are you jealous, Eiji?" you teased, lightly nudging him with your elbow.

"Yes! Do you know how long I've been waiting to kiss you both? It's been torture holding out from kissing you while waiting for Katsuki to get on board, and now I've come to find out that you two were making out for the first time without me?!"

Katsuki shrugged, nodding towards you. "They gave me permission. Blame them."

Eijirou scoffed. "I sure hope they did!"

"He means, I gave him permission to be selfish. I didn't know he was going to kiss me when I said that," you clarified.

"Oh, you knew, and you sure as hell didn't stop me."

"Well, of course not!" you said.

Katsuki smirked at you and you felt heat rush to your face. A brief knowing look was shared between the two of you as you recalled the events of the previous night.

Eijirou watched your silent interaction, his pout increasing as he whined. "I wanna kiss you both too!"

"You snooze, you lose," Katsuki said, breaking his stare away from you and taking a sip of his coffee.

Eijirou narrowed his eyes at him. "Scratch that. I definitely don't wanna kiss you right now."

"Hey!" Katsuki barked, looking at the redhead offendedly.

You giggled at them both, pressing a kiss to each of their cheeks.

"Both of you, hush. We have plenty of time for kissing later. Now, let's get to work! We can't fail this exam!"

Katsuki rolled his eyes, trying to fight off the growing redness on his cheeks. "Now look who's all ready to study, for once."

"Well, we gotta make sure we all pass! I'm not being left in the dust by the two of you just because of one stupid failed exam!" you said.

Eijirou’s eyes softened as he looked at you. "Aw, hun, we would never."

Katsuki nodded in agreement. "Damn straight. I'll make sure both of you idiots pass, even if I have to jam all the information into your heads myself."

"That always works with me! Right, Kats?" Eijirou flashed his sharp toothy smile.

Katsuki hummed, growing even more flustered over how cute the redhead looked when he smiled at him like that. Thankfully, you managed to draw the attention away from him long enough for him to hide his fond smile. He couldn't let either of you know just how soft he was for you, yet.

A giggle fell past your lips as you spoke. "Good for you, Eiji. But I'd like to refrain from developing a concussion the day before the exam."

Katsuki’s attention moved back to you, a cocky smirk growing on his face. "I could always kiss the information into you."

Eijirou gasped. "What?! No fair!"

"Both of you, be quiet and focus! Or no kisses at all!”

. . .

That shut them right up.

‣ If you enjoyed this fic, please like, comment, and/or reblog! Doing so not only keeps my blog alive, but also lets me know what you like and how to improve!

‣ If you’d like to join the taglist for Katsuki Bakugou, Eijirou Kirishima, KiriBaku, or be tagged in all of my future MHA writings, let me know by sending me an ask/message, or comment on this post!

‣ Taglist: @jslittlebirdie @xkatsukizukux

[merlinsbudgiesmugglers]

What genre/trope do you tend to write the most?

Thanks anon! Is idiots falling in love a trope?

It's mostly fluff, maybe a bit of flangst on occassion...my main goal with my writing is to make someone smile on the train because they just can't help themselves

[sugareey-makes-stuff]

8 & 16 for the New Year's writer ask! ☺️

Hiya, friend! Will do! :D 8. Is there a story idea in your mental vault that you’ve never been brave enough to try writing? Is this the year? Can you tell us about it? I have a couple of ideas I mentioned for this question here and here. In general, if I can finish Where do we go from here? as a 13-part series, that would be soooo amazing. The fact that I went back into writing with this series was a brave move, because this project has been the biggest one I’ve worked on...ever. I’m super proud how it has been received so far, and writing each one shot has taught me so much. I’m a slow writer, I’m picky with details and I really need to do my research before I’m comfortable with writing what I want to write, so it has been quite a process. I’ve never written a bunch of one shots that support a bigger story arc before, so in a way, the prompts I have left for this series are all things I’ve never written before! There’s so much to explore when it comes to life after Hogwarts, careers, during the war and after the war! Same with different genres and tropes (but of course, flangst or angst are my favs). I have a couple of one shots I have outlined right now for the series, but it’s more about me picking which one to work on next (during the war before the Battle of Hogwarts or post-war, a year after the Battle). The former is Oliver’s PoV and the latter is Percy’s PoV. Maybe I should flip a coin or something if I want to get things moving again! XD 16. Do you have that one fanfic that you wrote a ton for, ages ago, but never posted? Will this be the year, come hell or high water, that it WILL get finished and posted? I do have some old fics I wrote before a took a long hiatus from writing. Lots of WIPs and so many notes! I’m not sure if those will ever get posted, since my writing style has changed, and honestly, I’m not completely in love some of these. Maybe because so much time has passed? I do have wayyy older fics that were posted on LJ back in the day, and I have been considering editing and re-releasing some of these on AO3 though. There are a few Drarry ones I still like, and I love what I had written for Deamus (fun fact: I used to RP once upon a time, and RPing as Seamus helped me figure out how to write for this ship). ANDDDD, I also have 4 WIP Perciver fics I wrote back in 2020 during lockdown when I was still trying to decide if I should start writing again. Obviously, I started posting fic up on AO3, so maybe one or all of these stories will be posted for 2023. I know two of them have a decent amount of words, and if I do have the time to brush the dust off and tighten things up more...well, I best not get ahead of myself yet. If the stars align, then that’s what we’ll go with. Thanks for the ask!

___

Previously asked: 8, 11, and 12 , 23 and 5, 14, and 24

Have a question? Send a q for fanfic asks for the new year!

[prettytragcdies]

what does your URL mean, and why did you choose it?what is your blog or graphic aesthetic or motif? why?what fandom do you primarily favour?what genre do you primarily favour?what are your top five fandoms to RP within?what are you top five universes to RP within?what universe have you never even considered writing in, and why?

𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒏 𝒂𝒔𝒌. 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐩𝐜.

what does your URL mean, and why did you choose it?

I liked Nikki Flores' music and heard the song during one of Kendall's solos on Dance Moms way back when, and I thought it fit a handful of my characters. My muses are pretty with tragic backstories in one way or another, hence the fact that they're all pretty tragedies. I've wanted to change it a few times over the years, but I'm too lazy to update everything, and I don't do well with change anyway, so prettytragcdies I shall stay, I guess.

what is your blog or graphic aesthetic or motif? why?

Honestly, I don't really have an aesthetic. I'm here to hone my creative writing skills and create stories that give myself and others all the feels. I couldn't care less about what blogs look like, as long as you can see, read, and locate everything clearly. I do prefer 100x100 icons and small text, though, if that counts for anything.

what fandom do you primarily favour?

Ha, have you met me? I prefer DALLAS over any other fandom out there, always and forever. It's my favorite television show of all time, my comfort show, etc. I love it so much.

what genre do you primarily favour?

I prefer angst most of all tbh. If it's an intriguing plot, some flangst can be pretty fun as well. Bonus points if the angst has to do with a pair of divorced exes or is between family members.

what are your top five fandoms to RP within?

Ha, pretty much a plethora of shows from the 1980's that like maybe three other people around here have actually seen. But yeah, DALLAS is definitely number one, no questions asked. Second would probably have to be 9-1-1, and third would be One Chicago. Fourth would be General Hospital, which I should probably just say soap operas in general. Fifth would be Grey's Anatomy, I guess. This would change greatly if there were actually people to write with in the ones I ultimately love the most, but I'll keep dreaming.

what are you top five universes to RP within?

I don't undstand how universes differ from fandoms, so until someone can stop by and properly explain this to me, I'm just going to say see the above answer. Oops.

what universe have you never even considered writing in, and why?

To be honest, I've never considered writing in the horror universe. Those type of movies and television shows simply don't interest me, unless someone I really love is in them. Like, Bonnie Bedelia in Needful Things. That movie wasn't scary at all. It was just gross in a couple of parts. But yeah, I digress.

[theuselesshistoryweeb]

my favorite fanfiction genre: flangst

Basically it’s fluff + angst…. It’s the reverse of hurt comfort but in the worst way possible

Make the relationship seem so sweet and fluffy and lovely and perfect and then bestowing the most heart wrenching, soul crushing tragedy after tragedy on this poor couple

[harrydracompreg]

HD MPREG 2023—Fest Information, Rules & FAQ

banner art by iero0

  If you missed our post about the key dates for the fest, check it out here: 2023 Key Dates & Info. We also managed to find and nuke the pesky gremlins in our tumblr theme! (Yay us!) Now we're primed and pumped to open prompting next week.

Here's the general rules and FAQ for the 2023 HD MPREG Fest.

What is the Harry/Draco MPREG Fest?

This is an anonymous prompt-based fest focused on mpreg and the relationship between Harry and Draco. Works forming part of this fest have three basic criteria—

Harry/Draco relationship is a must

Either Harry or Draco must get pregnant

They must not mainly identify as female while pregnant.

The change to the last criteria is explained in further detail here. 

Prompting

All prompting will be done through AirTable. We will post the link to the form when prompts open on Monday 23 January 2023. Prompts will be displayed in a gallery, and are typically available live unless flagged for review.

You are absolutely welcome to leave prompts for this fest even if you don't intend to create for it.

You are welcome to claim your own prompt too! If you want to create for your own prompt, this will be indicated on the form. While the prompt may still display in the gallery, AirTable will preserve your anonymity. If you have any questions about this process, please ask.

When prompting, be mindful that this is a prompts fest and not a gifts exchange, so while the creators will stick as close to the prompt as possible, they are allowed their creative license. Try not to make the prompts overly detailed, and keep the dislikes/squicks list to a minimum.

You can submit up to ten (10) prompts, and we will allow anonymous prompting.

You may re-prompt from previous fests when the prompt in question was yours, was not selected in a previous fest, and is not actively prompted in another open fest. If you saw a prompt that you loved elsewhere and think it would make a great prompt for MPREG, ask the prompter if they'd consider posting it here.

Creating

This is an anonymous fest!

While you are working on your submission, please do not tell anyone other than your beta(s) about the specifics of your creation. During posting, you should not reply to any comments or cross-post your work to other platforms. Once the fest posting has concluded, all creators will be revealed and then you can respond to the comments and cross-post the work on other platforms.

All written entries must have a minimum word count of 2,000 words, and there is no maximum word count. Art works and podfics should demonstrate equivalent effort.

All ratings and creation genres are welcome. Romance, pwp, drama, humour, dark, flangst, fluff, hurt/comfort, family. If it fits the fest's guidelines and you can write it, draw it, or record it: we want it!

Submitted works must be unique to this fest. We ask that they not be part of an existing universe or a prequel or sequel to an existing story. Submitted works must be complete works—we will not accept WIPs (work-in-progress). You may not submit a work that you have previously posted.

Submissions

Closer to the submission date of 23 April 2023, we will make a detailed post on the finer points of submissions. For now, some basic details are provided below.

If you finish your creation early, you are most welcome to submit early. If we haven't made the submissions post by that time please contact the Mods via email or DM.

All works will be posted to AO3. You will upload your own submission to the AO3 collection. A header is required to ensure uniform details for each work are posted on tumblr and LiveJournal. We will offer a html-free header experience also via AirTable, and the details will be provided in the submissions post.

Written works and podfics must be beta-d. This is not negotiable. The Mods will proof-read and proof-listen to these entries, and reserve the right to return them to you with corrections if necessary. If you do not have a beta lined up, there are resources where you may find someone to assist you including the Drarry discord server. Please keep the anonymous nature of this fest in mind while discussing your beta requirements in open forums.

All works must include the appropriate HTML coding tags on AO3. If you are unsure what the HTML tags are or how to use them, please check phoenixacid's N00b's guide to HTML. All submissions shall be uploaded directly to the 2023 H/D MPREG Collection on AO3. It is strongly recommended that you double-check when you post to verify that your coding and spacing is correct.

Extensions and Withdrawals

Extensions to timeframes will be considered on an individual basis. We will check in with you periodically, and if you think you're going to need an extension, you should tell us as soon as possible. Giving the Mods an idea of how much time you think you'll need, as well as where you're currently up to will help us plan the posting schedule better and fit things in.

Communication goes a long way, and we like to think we're easy to work with. Please talk to us if you're having problems.

If you find yourself in the regrettable position that you have to withdraw from the fest, we'll be sad to see you go. Sometimes, real-life ruins the best of fandom intentions and there's very little we can do about that. Please send us an email or a DM before your submission deadline so we're not left waiting for something that isn't coming.

Something Else

In the event that you've got something else to ask, please direct your comments, concerns, inquiries, Howlers, compliments and the like to hdmpreg@gmail.com. You can also send us an ask on tumblr, or a DM, or reach out to us on the Drarry discord. Be patient—one of us will answer you.

If you haven't already, please follow us on tumblr, or join or watch us on Livejournal.

Fantastic, sassy_cissa and timothysboxers H/D MPREG MODS